


Watch Your Back

by dgalerab



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Blockers/Aces Are Familiars, Captains Are Royalty, Chapters are short but updates should be more or less daily - Freeform, Character Death, Idk what happened here but this fic got super sad in some parts, Kinda, M/M, Rating May Change, Setters Are Mages, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Villain Oikawa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-07-11 10:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7044691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dgalerab/pseuds/dgalerab
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kageyama Tobio, mage of the Kitagawa clan, has been betrayed by his own clan at the suggestion of Oikawa Tooru and left for dead, only to be found by the fallen Karasuno clan. It seems like a cruel twist of fate, but perhaps fate might just be giving a nudge towards the right path.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Looking back, it had been such an average day. The Karasuno clan’s land claims were so small these days that everyone had all but forgotten that they existed, leaving their woods to be one of the most peaceful places left in the Great Forest. When Sugawara Koushi, their one and only mage, stops midsentence on a hunting party and darts off the path, Prince Sawamura Daichi only thinks it’s because he’s followed a deer.

He rushes after Sugawara, but the last thing he expects is to find Sugawara dragging a young boy out of the river.

He reacts quickly, pulling his cloak off of his shoulders and immediately wrapping the young boy in it. “Suga…” he says quietly, but his friend just shakes his head.

“We should get him back to the village,” Sugawara mutters, looking around. He reaches out to stroke the boy’s head for just a moment, seemingly impulsively. “I felt his fear meters away… whatever attacked him could still be nearby.”

“Attacked?” Daichi says.

Sugawara nods. “I think so.”

-X-

They carry the boy back, and he doesn’t stir at any point during the trip. Their village is small and Takeda Ittetsu is their only healer. He blanches when they bring in the boy. He’s not used to dealing with more than a wet cough or a sprained ankle.

“Lay him down here,” he says, quickly spreading out a blanket on one of the beds. “We’ll have a look, see how badly he’s hurt.”

They pull the wet clothes off his back, and it’s not good. There’s a large stab wound through the boy’s back, and it’s still open and bleeding. Takeda sighs. “I’ll do my best, but this is more than I’m used to dealing with,” he says. “Who is he?”

“We don’t know,” Daichi replies. “Sugawara found him in the river.”

Takeda hums and looks over the boy for any more wounds. He hisses suddenly. Sugawara and Daichi watch him, frowning. Takeda points at something between the boy’s shoulder blades. It’s a small tattoo, resembling a crown.

“A mage?” Sugawara breathes.

Takeda nods, a serious look crossing his face.

“But how?” Daichi whispers. They’re all leaning closer now. “Where is his familiar?”

“Probably dead,” Sugawara says. They all flinch. “Sorry. That was a little blunt, but I don’t want to undersell the situation.”

“Who or what could have gotten the jump on a mage and his familiar?” Takeda says.

“More importantly, will they be going for another try?” Sugawara says. “It’s possible this was nothing short of an assassination attempt. Keeping him here could bring very dangerous forces to our door.”

Daichi frowns. “We’ll alert everyone on guard,” he says. “But we’re not turning out a young, injured boy to save ourselves, especially if he is still in danger.” Sugawara nods, shooting Daichi a proud smile. “Please keep this amongst yourselves. The less people know he’s here, the better. Please let me know if he’s awake, Takeda.”

Takeda nods, and Daichi turns to leave the tent, gesturing for Sugawara to follow him. “Sugawara,” he says. “Are any of the new familiars ready for something like this?”

Sugawara looks at him with wide eyes. “Well,” he says. “There’s certainly a lot of potential amongst them, but I don’t know if I would recommend any of them without knowing the personality of the mage. I still wouldn’t say any of them is a sure thing…”

Daichi sighs and rubs his chin. “We’ll wait for him to wake up, then, but I’d like a familiar with him as soon as possible. It should at least give us a small warning if someone comes for him.”

-X-

They spend the day in terse silence, waiting along the perimeter, just in case.

Takeda comes running  out after them late in the evening. “He’s awake,” he wheezes.

When Daichi and Sugawara get back to the tent, leaving Takeda behind, Daichi at first thinks that Takeda is mistaken. The boy is still, limp, though his eyes are open.

“Hello,” Sugawara says, sitting beside the boy. The boy’s eyes shift to watch him. They’re cold, serious. “My name is Sugawara Koushi. I’m the mage of the Karasuno clan. What’s your name?”

The boy blinks up at him. “Kageyama Tobio,” he mutters, then stares back up at the ceiling.

“What happened to you, Tobio?” Sugawara asks, his voice kind, but very firm.

“I was stabbed,” Kageyama says.

“By who? Where is your familiar?”

Kageyama avoids his gaze even more intensely.

Sugawara sighs. “We’re trying to help,” he says.

“Thank you,” Kageyama says. “But when I get well enough to stand, I would like to leave.”

Sugawara watches him quietly for a while. “Very well,” he says. “But please, rest while you are here.”

He joins Daichi outside the tent and gives him a quick sideways look. “Apologies. I know I could have kept asking, but it seemed better not to push him.”

Daichi nods. “It’s alright. But eventually, we’re going to need to get him to tell us what attacked him. I don’t feel right about letting him go just yet.”

“It will take days for him to get back on his feet, I wouldn’t worry about it just yet.” Sugawara smiles. “But I think I know which familiar to get him.”

-X-

Hinata Shoyo has been ready to be a familiar since he heard the tale of the Little Giant, the familiar who fought back whole armies with his mage at his side. The Little Giant was one of the world’s first familiars who had gone into battle despite his animal form being smaller than the usual bear or wolf. Shoyo has always known that his animal form wouldn’t be something that massive.

Still, he wasn’t expecting a crow. Crows seemed… even smaller than a fox, which was what the little giant had been. But really, that only meant that Shoyo had to try even harder to become the very best familiar the world has ever seen.

So when Sugawara pulls him out of class, he’s immediately caught between being terrified of being in trouble or excited. Perhaps Sugawara has finally decided to take on a new familiar. After all, it’s been years since his last one was seen.

Sugawara pulls him out of hearing range of the other students, so Shoyo realizes he must be telling Shoyo something secret, which means this is probably good. He’s almost bouncing by the time they stop in a corner. “Hinata,” Sugawara says. “What I’m about to tell you is must be kept very quiet. Can you keep this to yourself?”

Shoyo stops bouncing, standing straight and nodding seriously with a hum.

“We found an injured mage in the woods,” Sugawara says.

Shoyo blinks up at him. “What?”

“We don’t know much about him, but whatever happened to him, it’s clearly gotten to him quite a bit. Would you please go to the medical tent and cheer him up?”

Shoyo nods. “Of course,” he says.

“Thank you,” Sugawara says. “And remember. Keep this very quiet.”

“Ok!” Shoyo cries. “I won’t let you down, I promise!” He dashes away, grinning.

-X-

Daichi steps out of the shadows once Hinata is gone. “Do you think that’s wise?” Daichi says. “The way I hear it, Hinata Shoyo is rather… intense. Are you sure Kageyama is ready to put up with him.”

Sugawara laughs. “I’m sure he’s not,” he says. “But I think it will be good for him anyway.”

Daichi sighs. “I can see where you’re going with this, but I’m not sure it’ll end well.”

“I’ve just got a good feeling about it, that’s all,” he says, grinning.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Shoyo looks over the strange mage. He has a bandage over his hip, and he’s sleeping fitfully. At first, Shoyo tried to sit beside him quietly, but he found himself too excited by all this to stay sitting, so now he’s standing beside the bed, watching intently.

This will be the first time Shoyo has been asked to look after a mage, and he wants it to go perfectly.

The mage cracks an eye open just as Shoyo is bending over him, head cocked. He jumps when he sees Shoyo, sliding up the bed and hitting his head, then clutching at his wound with a glare.

Shoyo looks at him, wide eyed, then holds up his hand and waves a tiny bit. “I’m Hinata Shoyo,” he says, pointing at himself. “I’m the familiar who’s looking after you.”

The mage throws himself onto his side. “I don’t need a familiar,” he says.

Shoyo slumps forward in dejection. His first time looking after a mage and the mage is already telling him to get lost. “Well, our mage says you need one,” Shoyo says. “So you’re just going to have to deal with it.”

“Whatever.”

Shoyo pulls up the chair and sits down on it as aggressively as he can. “What’s your name?” he asks, leaning his hands onto the side of his chair. The mage doesn’t answer. “Ehhh? Come on, at least tell me your name!”

“Kageyama Tobio,” the mage says.

“Nice to meet you, Kageyama-kun,” Shoyo says with a smile.

Kageyama is silent.

“Fine,” Shoyo says. “Don’t answer. I’ll be the best familiar ever, even if you’re going to be mean about it.” He scrunches up his face in determination, and settles in to continue his vigil.

About an hour later, he’s resting his chin on the bed and sighing. He’s so _bored_.

“Hey, Kageyama,” he says. “Are you awake?”

He gets no response, which he realizes could mean anything.

“What clan are you from?” he asks after a while. He doesn’t really expect an answer.

After a long pause, though Kageyama says, “I don’t have a clan. Not anymore.”

Shoyo cocks his head. “Don’t have a clan?” he asks. He’s never heard of anyone who doesn’t live in a clan, definitely not a mage. “That seems lonely.”

This time, it’s silence again.

“Well, you can join our clan,” he says brightly.

“I don’t want to join your stupid clan,” Kageyama mutters back.

Shoyo leaps to his feet. “Hey! Maybe we’ve been falling into decline, but Karasuno is an excellent clan.”

“I don’t care.”

Shoyo sits back down and lets his head fall back onto the mattress. “Jeez, you really have an attitude problem, don’t you?” He shakes his head. “Is that what you got stabbed for?”

Kageyama grabs his pillow and slams it over his head, bringing his knees up slightly. He looks really vulnerable like this, and Shoyo feels bad for his earlier question. He resolves to make up for it later.

After a while, Kageyama emerges from under the pillow, and he rolls onto his stomach. His face is a little twisted into a grimace. “Hey,” Shoyo says.

“What?” Kageyama growls.

Shoyo starts back for a moment. This guy sure does have a scary face. “D-do you need something for the pain?”

“No.”

“Oh,” Shoyo says, a little disappointed. So far, he isn’t doing much as a familiar. “Ok.”

He sits there for another day, not daring to speak to Kageyama again. It’s without a doubt the most boring thing he’s ever done.

He perks up when he hears voices outside. Strangers voices. He sneaks to the front of the tent so he can hear better. “No, I’m afraid we don’t get many strangers here… we haven’t seen anyone for months before you,” Sugawara is saying just a touch louder than the stranger’s voices.

Shoyo gasps and rushes to Kageyama’s side. “Hey,” he whispers. “Get up.”

Kageyama mutters something. Shoyo tugs at him again, dragging him to the bedding chest. Thankfully, it’s already empty, and Shoyo is fairly sure they’ll both fit. “Come on,” he says, pulling Kageyama over the side of the chest and lowering him down. “We’ll hide here.”

He lowers the lid of the chest. Kageyama shifts a little, grunting when his wound is jostled, and Shoyo shushes him quickly. Kageyama’s knee is in his stomach and his neck is bent awkwardly, but he knows better than to move now. He can hear voices, close enough that they might already be in the tent.

“Feel free to take a look around,” Sugawara is saying beside them. “As you can see, there’s not really much here. Once you’re ready, I’ll show you the mess hall as well.”

“Thank you,” says one of the stranger’s voices. Kageyama sucks in a quiet little breath. “I hate to cause you trouble, but this is important, you understand.”

“Of course,” Sugawara says. “We don’t mind. We try to stay on good terms with neighboring clans.”

They seem to be leaving, when Shoyo hears another set of footsteps. “Sorry I’m late,” says an oddly melodic voice. Kageyama has to shove a fist in his mouth to stay quiet. “Where are we?”

“We were just about to show them the mess hall,” Sugawara says brightly. “But if you’d like to take a look around as well?”

There’s a long pause, in which Shoyo can very clearly hear someone’s fingers sliding over the top of the chest. He does his best not to squeak. “Hmm,” says the voice, going weirdly dark for just a split second. “No,” it continues, suddenly bright again. “I’ll trust my guards. I’m sure they were thorough.”

Shoyo can hear their footsteps getting further, but he keeps the chest closed. After an unbearably long wait, he hears someone knock on the top of the trunk. “Hinata,” Sugawara’s voice says. “It’s ok now, you can come out.”

Shoyo opens up the lid. “Who was that?” he asks.

Sugawara helps him out, then reaches down to help Shoyo pull Kageyama out of the chest too. Kageyama seems to be shaking a little.

“I don’t know,” Sugawara says. “But he was looking for Kageyama.”

“Why didn’t you give me to him?”

Sugawara smiles. “My magic deals with empathy. I get pretty good reads on people. I find it hard to believe you’re a fugitive. And I don’t particularly like that groups leader.” He helps Shoyo lower Kageyama back into bed. “Don’t worry. You’ll be safe with the Karasuno clan.”

“He’ll be back,” Kageyama says. “And it won’t work out well for you.”

“Hmm,” Sugawara says. “Well. We’ll just have to prepare for him.” He smiles, patting Kageyama’s cheek. “Good job, Hinata.” He gives Hinata a high five, and then walks out of the tent.

Shoyo watches Kageyama closely. “Who was that guy?” he asks.

Kageyama doesn’t answer, just pulls his blanket around himself.

Shoyo shrugs and leans back in his chair.

When he wakes up, Kageyama isn’t in his bed anymore. He leaps out of his chair, checking around the tent quickly before dashing out into the open. There’s only one good path out of the village, and since Kageyama is still seriously injured, he must have gone that way. Shoyo dashes down it, letting his instinct guide him. He races through the woods, until finally he sees a little light.

He sneaks after it, just in case it’s not Kageyama, but as he gets close enough, he can see Kageyama’s face. “Hey!” he hisses, and Kageyama snaps around. He’s still unsteady on his feet, but he seems to be walking ok. “What are you doing?”

Kageyama stares at him. “How did you find me?”

“I don’t know, I just followed my gut. Now come back to the village, you’ll get yourself killed out here.”

Kageyama just turns around and keeps walking. Shoyo steps after him, and Kageyama whirls around, a large blast of blue fire spilling from his hands. “ _Leave me alone!_ ” he roars. Shoyo can just barely morph in time and fly out of the path of the flames and onto a secure branch.

“Hey,” Shoyo says angrily. “You could have killed me!”

Kageyama looks up at him, startled. “N-no…” he says. “It wasn’t that powerful. I just wanted to knock you down.”

“Still,” Shoyo huffs.

“How did you get up there so fast?”

Shoyo leaps down and shrugs. “Just instinct, I guess.” He grabs Kageyama’s arm. “Come back to the village with me,” he says. “You’ll die out here on your own with those guys looking for you.”

Kageyama looks ready to pull away and make a break for it, but finally his shoulder fall and he drops his head. “I… I don’t want to put anyone in danger.”

“Hey,” Shoyo says, grinning. “We’ll manage. We’re not the clan we once were, but we’re pretty awesome. Besides, it’s my job now to take care of you.”

Kageyama deflates slowly. “Fine,” he mumbled.

“Really?!” Shoyo cries, bouncing up to Kageyama.

“Stop yelling about it!” Kageyama yells. He catches himself quickly and coughs. “Someone might hear us.”

Shoyo grins and grabs his arm, dragging him back towards the village, then stops. “Huh?” he mutters. “Where are we?”

“You’re lost?” Kageyama hisses.

“You’re the one who ran off!”

“And you got lost?!”

“I think I can find the path again,” Shoyo says.

And he does. Eventually.


	3. Chapter 3

“His name is Oikawa Tooru,” Kageyama says. “He’s both the mage and King of the Seijoh clan.”

“Mage _and_ King?” Shoyo cries with a gasp.

Kageyama nods. “He was only sixth in line for the throne, but his clan got into a skirmish with the Shiratorizawa clan.”

“Shiratorizawa?” Prince Sawamura gasps. “They’re the largest clan in the entire forest.”

 “And the most brutal. I don’t know the details, but it got out of hand somehow. The royal family was killed, leaving only Oikawa. He’s hell bent on revenge.”

“Revenge? On Shiratorizawa?” Sugawara asks, eyes wide. “That’s suicide.”

“That’s why he’s gathering more people. He’s taking over all neighboring clans, and I have no idea how far he’ll go to stop it. At this point I think revenge means more to him than anything else.” He tightens his hands on the side of the bed.

“Why is he after you?” Shoyo asks.

“I’m from the Kitagawa clan. We have all kinds of resources he needs, so I think he wants to be certain there’s no challenge for our lands.” Kageyama bows his head. “And ever since my uncle and cousin died on a hunting party… I am the King of Kitagawa. At least… I was.”

Shoyo leaps to his feet and salutes. “Your Highness!”

Sugawara beckons him to sit back down. “Was?” he asks.

“I was reckless. I tried to fight Seijoh before they got to our doors, but they were already too strong. We lost so many people…” Kageyama shakes his head. “By the time he made it to the city, my own guard was done with me. Oikawa convinced them to get rid of me in no time.”

They’re quiet, and no one answers until Prince Sawamura finally puts his hand on Kageyama’s shoulder and squeezes. “You’re very young. It’s understandable that you would have done badly as King without anyone to guide you.”

Kageyama hisses, shoulders hunching even further. “I should have done better…” he grits out.

Sugawara sits beside him and puts a hand on his back. “You can’t focus on that now. If what you say is true, Oikawa probably won’t stop at Kitagawa. We’ll need to mount a defense, get the word out to the other clans.”

“You’re right,” Kageyama says. “I apologize.” He tries to stand up, but he’s still shaky, and Sugawara and Prince Sawamura have to haul him back into bed.

“Please rest,” Sugawara says. “His Highness and I will discuss our strategy. You can join us when you’re better.”

Kageyama nods, though it seems to hurt him to give up his role in this.

“Your Highness?” Shoyo whispers, once they’re alone in the tent.

“Don’t call me that,” Kageyama growls.

“King…”

“Don’t.”

Shoyo doesn’t get it, but he nods. “Are you going to try to get back your clan?”

Kageyama gazes up at the ceiling. “I don’t know,” he says finally, then rolls over onto his side, his back to Shoyo.

Shoyo sighs and settles in for another night of waiting.

-X-

Kageyama manages another day of rest before he insists on getting up and helping. He gets to the Prince’s tent by leaning heavily on Shoyo, and by the time he gets there he’s pale and sweaty, and Shoyo feels like his arm is going to come right off if this guy pulls on it anymore.

Sawamura and Sugawara glance up at them in surprise.

“I can’t just rest,” Kageyama says. “Please, allow me to help.”

Sawamura and Sugawara exchange looks. “Very well,” Sugawara says. “But please, sit down.”

Kageyama nods and sinks into the chair that’s offered to him. “What’s the situation?”

“Well,” Sawamura says, scratching at his head awkwardly. “At the moment, Karasuno isn’t doing great in terms of defense. We only had one knight, and he was captured during a skirmish with the Dateko clan.”

“Can’t we help him escape?” Shoyo says.

“The Dateko clan resides in the mountains just east of the forest. They’re right on top of a massive mine, and they’ve built themselves an impenetrable fortress with it,” Kageyama says. “I doubt we’ll be able to spring anyone from there.”

“Well,” Shoyo says. “I could morph into a crow.”

“Your feathers are too bright to be a normal crow, and if they noticed that you’re a familiar, they’d shoot you down immediately,” Sawamura says.

“But I’m really small. They probably wouldn’t notice me at all.”

Sawamura sighs. “Well,” he says. “There’s something to that.”

Sugawara blinks at him. “You’re not honestly suggesting…?”

“We don’t have many options. The Dateko clan won’t agree to a truce over this. They’re too used to being the impenetrable fortress. They won’t believe that they’re in danger too, and we need the Guardian of Karasuno if we’re to have any hope at all.”

Sugawara crosses his arms. “It’s unlikely that Nishinoya will even come with us without Asahi.”

Kageyama and Shoyo watch them with confused looks, and Sugawara laughs, seemingly a little embarrassed that he forgot to explain things to them. “Asahi is my familiar,” he says. Shoyo gasps and watches a little more intently. “During the battle with Dateko, he kept getting beaten back by their head familiar. We might have had a chance to turn the tides, but… Asahi ran away during the fight, and Nishinoya gave up fighting when he saw. He and Asahi were always close, and I think it shocked him to know that Asahi could turn his back on us, to the point that he didn’t know what else to fight for.”

Shoyo nods, clenching his fist. “So all we’ve got to do is find Asahi and get him to come back, and then I’ll get in past the iron wall and grab Nishinoya.”

Kageyama glares at him. “I think your plan is missing a few steps.”

“Hey! It’s a solid plan!” Shoyo cries. “We can work out the details later!”

Sugawara sighs. “Well,” he says. “I might have a clue about where Asahi might be.”

Shoyo bounces up to him. “Really? Then I’ll go and get him!”

“He won’t come back easily,” Sawamura says. “Knowing him, the guilt of leaving us behind will be eating at him. He’ll think we’re better off without him.”

“Well, I’ll just tell him we’re not,” Shoyo says. “Sugawara still doesn’t have a new familiar and we don’t have a single knight. He’ll have to see that’s not good.”

Sawamura sighs. “Hinata,” he says. “I’d much rather you stayed here with Kageyama. As a familiar you’re probably much more sensitive to whether he’s in danger or not. We could use that kind of warning system right about now.”

“Given a few more days of rest, I’m sure I could go with him,” Kageyama says. “But I still don’t see how we’re going to break this knight out of an impenetrable fortress.”

Sugawara smiles softly to himself. “Well,” he says. “We’ll just have to figure that out while you’re resting up, right?”

Sawamura sighes, rubbing at his chin. “Believe… it’s also time to find someone else.”

Sugawara frowns, looking at Sawamura with a bewildered expression of his face. Sawamura leans forward onto the table, hanging his head. “Ukai Keishin, King of the Karasuno clan.”


	4. Chapter 4

In the end, it’s Ittetsu who ends up heading into the forest with the goal of finding King Ukai, flanked by two of the other familiar trainees. They’re very young, he thinks, even though one of them is very tall. He feels a bit nervous taking them into the woods in dangerous times, but none of them is wearing the crest of Karasuno, so it’s unlikely anyone will think they pose any threat.

“So you’re both training to be familiars, huh?” he asks.

The tall boy, Tsukishima Kei, just sighs. His friend, Yamaguchi Tadashi, nods with a shy smile. “Tsukki’s brother was a familiar, so we both figured we’d join the school. Of course, that was before Karasuno fell into decline.”

“How are you coming along?” he asks.

The smaller boy blushes. “Um… well… I’m still trying to learn how to morph. But Tsukki’s got it down.”

Tsukishima shrugs. “I’m ok at it.”

Ittetsu tries not to let the sinking feeling in his stomach show on his face. One of them can’t even morph? If they’re attacked, there’s not really much either of them can do. He breathes out a nervous sigh and tries to think positively.

They’ll be fine. Everything will be ok. There’s no reason to suspect them of anything. No one will attack them.

He hears voices a bit further down, and he freezes.

“Iwachan…” one of them sing-songs through the woods. “You’re not upset with me, are you?”

“He’s just a boy, Tooru,” says another, gruffer voice.

“He’s a boy who thinks he’s entitled to the Kitagawa clan,” the other voice says softly. “I can’t afford to lose Kitagawa to a child.”

There’s a long silence, in which Ittetsu does his best to creep backwards quietly.

“Did you compel them?” the deeper voice says quietly.

“Of course not,” the other voice says, with a childish offended tone. “They were tired of that little brat’s incompetence.”

“We could have locked him away. There was no reason to try to kill him. You’ve only given him more reason to rebel against you…”

“Don’t worry, Iwachan. One child King who throws his men away on the battle field like candy isn’t a big price to pay.”

“Tooru.” The voice sounds a little pained by now. “He’s only four years older than your nephew was when…”

There’s a roar, and at the same moment, Ittetsu makes a step back that snaps a twig. He freezes for a split second, but before he can move again, there’s a sword against his neck, and a stoic face is ahead of him, holding his sword without a single quiver in his arm.

“Sorry,” Ittetsu manages. “We… we were just looking for the inn.”

The sword doesn’t move, but another figure clambers up beside him. He has a surprisingly likeable face, though at the moment it’s still twisted into a grimace that makes him look terrifyingly cold. “Iwachan,” he says, still serious. He takes a deep breath and then smiles, as though nothing has happened. “There’s no need to accost random travelers because they dropped on us at a bad time.”

“My apologies… again…” Ittetsu gasps.

Oikawa’s man (his familiar, most likely) withdraws his sword silently.

“The inn isn’t far from here,” Oikawa says, not unkindly. “If you like, we can walk you down. It’s not safe in these woods for children.”

Tsukishima looks upset about being called a child, but he stays silent.

“Thank you,” Ittetsu says, still shaking. “But we don’t want to intrude any more. We’ll be fine from here.”

Oikawa shrugs. “Very well. Iwachan, come along.”

The familiar gives Ittetsu a last, suspicious look before joining Oikawa. Oikawa watches him pass, then glances back up at Ittetsu. For a split second, he looks horrifyingly dangerous, as though he can see right through Ittetsu.

Then he smiles again, open and honest. “Good luck on your travels!”

Ittetsu waits until they’re out of sight to breath out. “Let’s pick up the pace,” he says, and Yamachi nods earnestly.

-X-

It’s dark by the time they finally get to the inn. Ittetsu is terrified the whole way that Oikawa has seen they’re not just lost travelers, and has doubled back to trap them before they get to the inn. When he finally steps into the inn, he finds himself unable to believe they already made it.

The innkeeper cocks an eyebrow at the look on his face. “One room or two?” he asks.

“Are you Ukai Keishin?” Ittetsu asks, leaning forward to whisper.

The innkeeper starts, eyes going wide. “Yes. What’s this about?”

“Your Highness…” Ittetsu begins, but he’s cut off by a long sigh.

“Not this again. Did Karasuno get into another skirmish? I wouldn’t have thought they had any land to lose anymore.”

“Ukai-kun…” Ittetsu continues. “Please, this is more important than that.”

Ukai sighs. “It always is. The man you’re looking for is my grandfather. He was King. I’m no King.”

“Your Highness, please…”

“None of that Your Highness business. I’m telling you, I’m not a King.”

“Ukai-kun,” Ittetsu corrects. “This isn’t just a skirmish. The Seijoh clan has taken over at least four clans already. They’ve tried to have a young King killed. We’re giving him shelter, but they’ve already come looking for him. We have no ties with other clans… we’re just trying to keep a young boy alive until we find some allies.”

Ukai gazes at him, an eyebrow raised, looking genuinely surprised. He sighs. “What do you think I can do about that? I’m telling you, I never… I never had a knack for this sort of thing.”

“Guidance. Leadership. Your grandfather had ties to other clans, that could help us.”

Ukai sighs, rubbing his chin. “I’ll think about it. Feel free to stay the night, but… I can’t give you an answer straight away.”

Ittetsu tries not to look dejected. “Thank you,” he says. This is better than nothing.

He looks back at the kids. “Could we have a meal?”

“Sure. Go back to the bar. Tell them it’s on me.”

Ittetsu nods, which is how he finds himself sitting at a small table, staring at a bowl of soup while an excited Yamaguchi talks to the bartender about morphing as a familiar. It turns out the bartender is a familiar as well, probably an old friend of Ukai’s from Karasuno’s greater days. Tsukishima sits beside Yamaguchi, seeming very uninterested.

Morning rolls around, and Ittetsu has barely slept, too nervous about Ukai’s answer.

They go downstairs in the morning, and Ukai is waiting for them, sitting by the bar with a drink. He groans when he sees Ittetsu. “I’ve thought about it,” he grunts. Ittetsu waits for his next sentence with bated breath. It seems Ukai is having a hard time saying it. “You’re right. I can’t let Karasuno be destroyed entirely. I don’t know what I can do to help, but… I will do my best.”

Ittetsu gasps. “You’re saying…” he says, trying not to sound to hopeful.

Ukai nods. “I’ll come with you.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly the team comes together! (This story is so fun to write.)

Kageyama is winded before Shoyo can even break a sweat. He looks back in what he thinks is a sympathetic manner. “Are you tired already?” he asks.

“Shut up, you dumbass!” Kageama yells. “If I wasn’t injured I’d keep up with you easy.”

Shoyo grumbles slightly and falls back so he can support Kageyama. “That wouldn’t even be fair,” he mutters. “You’re so much taller than me.”

Kageyama humphs, drawing his eyebrows together. “Well, I’d still beat you,” he mutters. “It’s not my fault you’re short.”

They have to stop around midday. Kageyama sleeps while Shoyo watches over him, and after a while he shakes the mage awake and they keep going. It’s slow, unbearably slow, but Shoyo tries to console himself with the fact that he’ll finally be able to meet Sugawara’s familiar, after so many years of watching the older mage refuse to take a new one. He wonders what he morphs into. It’s probably something amazing.

Finally, they come to a small cottage along the end of the path. “Do you think this is the one Sugawara was talking about?” he asks.

“How should I know?” Kageyama says. He looks rather pale, so Shoyo helps him sit down while he goes to look around. He makes it about halfway around the cottage when he hears a loud growl behind him.

He freezes and turns around slowly. There’s a massive lion behind him. It’s easily three times as big as Shoyo, and it’s snarling at him as they speak. It lunges at him, and on impulse, Shoyo punches it on the nose.

It jerks back, and in the blink of an eye, he finds himself looking at a wild looking man with long hair and a beard, rubbing at his nose. “Ow,” he says. “Why would you think it’s a good idea to punch a lion?”

Shoyo blinks at him. “Azumane-san,” he says, since this must be him, and bows deeply. “I’m sorry, I thought you were going to eat me.”

Azumane looks up at him. “You know my name?”

“Yes,” he says. “Sugawara Koushi sent me.”

Azumane sighs. “He still hasn’t found a new familiar?” he asks.

Shoyo shakes his head. “No,” he says. “We need you.”

“That’s Suga for you,” the large familiar mutters. “He always sees the best in people.” He shakes his head. “Karasuno and Suga can both do better than a coward like me.”

“But we need you!” Shoyo cries. “Karasuno’s in danger. All the clans are.”

Azumane shakes his head again, standing up and turning to go. “All the more reason to find someone who can stand to stay in a tough fight.”

“The Guardian of Karasuno won’t return without you,” Shoyo blurts. Azumane stops walking at that, but he doesn’t turn around. “At least… that’s what Suga… Suga says.”

“Noya? He left Karasuno?”

“He was captured by Dateko,” Shoyo says. “Apparently he lost the will to fight.”

“Noya?” Azumane says, his voice ever so slightly disbelieving. He looks back at Shoyo, an odd look on his face. “Because of me?”

Shoyo nods. “You can’t just run away,” he says. “A clan is family. You have to fight for them, and even if you make mistakes, you have to stay by their side.”

He hears Kageyama walk up behind him, and when he glances back, he’s wearing an incomprehensible expression.

“Please, Azumane-san…”

“Asahi,” he corrects. “Asahi is just fine.” He sighs, shoulders slumping. “I’ll… I’ll come with you. For Noya.” He smiles a little bitterly. “I never thought he would have taken it so hard that I left.”

Kageyama sighs in something relief and grabs onto Shoyo’s shoulder to steady himself. “Thank you,” he says, trying to pull himself straight.

Asahi cocks his head at him. “Hey,” he says quietly. “You’re injured.”

Kageyama looks like he’s about to protest, but he falls forward before he can get it out. Asahi grabs him and pulls him up. “Why don’t you ride on my back on the way home?” he says, smiling. Kageyama doesn’t look too happy about it, but he nods anyway.

Asahi morphs for him. His animal form really is massive. More than that, it seems natural to him. He lets Kageyama onto his back and starts down the path, just casually padding along. Shoyo still feels weird in his animal form, like his limbs are all over the place. It’s only through his naturally quick reflexes that he can keep up with it at all. As far as he can see, Asahi has no such problem. He walks along beside Shoyo without a single pause.

They make the trip in about a third of the time without needing to stop for Kageyama, but Asahi stops outside of the village and bows his head. Kageyama jerks awake. “We’re here?” he asks.

Shoyo nods and helps him up. He doesn’t want to let Kageyama out of his sight, but he sees the way Asahi stops, hanging his head. He hasn’t morphed back yet, but the expression that would have been on his face is clear. “Asahi,” he says brightly. “Come on!”

Asahi looks up. He morphs back, looking just as dejected, but he strolls after Shoyo. He slows down again as they enter the village, looking around. There’s still a few buildings left, but almost all of them have been replaced with sturdy tents. It was easy than rebuilding, Shoyo was told. Many of those buildings must have been knocked down before Asahi left, but Shoyo guesses that after Dateko stormed through, the village must look even worse.

Shoyo helps Kageyama to the tent, then stops short. There’s a scary looking man with pierced ears standing beside Sugawara and Sawamura, but they don’t seem to be worried about him. He’s pointing at the map and explaining something.

Sugawara turns to see him as they come in and smiles. “Ah, Hinata, Kageyama,” he says. “This is King Ukai.”

“Your Highness!” Hinata exclaims, bowing down so quickly that he drops Kageyama on his ass. “Sorry!”

“Please, don’t worry about the formalities…” Ukai mutters, waving his hand. Kageyama crawls up and looks ready to yell at him, but before he can, Asahi ducks into the tent. The shame on his face is evident. Sugawara seems startled to see him.

He recovers quickly, though and smiles brightly, closing the distance between them and pulling Asahi into a hug. “It’s good to see you, old friend,” he says softly.

“Suga… I…” Asahi murmurs, but Sugawara just smacks him on the shoulder.

“It’s alright,” Sugawara says. “You’re back now. That’s what matters.”

Behind him, Sawamura nods happily.

“Right,” Asahi says, steeling himself and clenching his jaw. “Let’s get Noya back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we'll finally see Noya!! :D (And possibly a little Kenma.)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long chapter!! AH!

Ukai is rubbing his chin and glancing at Shoyo occasionally. He sighs. “You two haven’t really been around each other to be able to locate each other, have you?” he mutters.

Shoyo cocks his head. “I can do it a little,” he says. Everyone looks at him at once. “I can,” he insists.

“Hinata,” Sugawara says, not unkindly. “That sort of bond takes years to form. Asahi and I can barely pull it off.”

“It’s not much,” Shoyo sniffs. “But I can kind of tell which direction he’s in.” Kageyama is looking at him funny. “What?!”

Ukai steps between them. “There’s no reason to argue this. Let’s put this to the test.” He puts a hand on Shoyo’s arm. “Someone will take Kageyama to one of the tents, and Hinata will tell us where he is. Then we’ll try it the other way around.”

They do so. Shoyo has to wait in the tent until they come get him and lead him to the center of the village. He closes his eyes and points in a direction that feels right. When he opens them again, he finds Sugawara and Ukai looking at each other, slightly concerned. “Did I get it wrong?” he asks.

“No,” Sugawara says gently, but he doesn’t say anything else.

They guide him into one of the rundown buildings and then he has to wait there until they come get him again. Kageyama looks bewildered, and he’s staring at his own hands. Sugawara and Ukai are whispering to each other. Shoyo creeps closer, and he can just hear Ukai whispering, _“… could be dangerous to press a connection like this while the boy is so vulnerable…_ ” before they notice him listening.

They smile at him, though it looks forced. Kageyama rushes up behind Shoyo. “Whatever you’re worried about, I’ll do it,” he blurts.

Ukai blinks at him. “Now… listen…”

“I let down my clan. I’ve got to fight now.”

“Listen, a bond between familiar and mage isn’t to be taken lightly,” Ukai says.

“You two have a much stronger bond that most already,” Sugawara explains quietly. “Ukai-kun is worried that if we exploit it, it might end up getting out of hand. An unstable bond can get dangerous.”

Kageyama clenches his fist. “I can handle it.”

“Kageyama,” Ukai says quietly. “What happened to your last familiar?”

Kageyama suddenly goes quiet, though Shoyo can still see the rage in his eyes as he jerks them away.

“Was he the one to give you that wound?” Ukai presses.

Kageyama says nothing, but it’s obvious that it’s true.

“Kageyama, it’s very likely that your soul is trying to replace that bond, much too quickly, and it will end up with a bond that could fall apart just as quickly, and it would hurt you both.” He sighs. “We’ll work around it.”

Kageyama stands motionless, fists clenched, but he doesn’t protest. Ukai and Sugawara return to the tent, but Shoyo hangs back to watch Kageyama. Finally, he, too turns away, but he gives Kageyama’s arm a small squeeze as he walks by.

-X-

Eventually, Kageyama returns and sits quietly in the corner while they try to think of ideas. “Can’t you use some magic?” Kageyama asks eventually.

Sugawara sighs. “I can’t see my gift coming in handy here. I’m an empath,” he says. He notices Shoyo looking at him, confused. “I feel what others are feeling,” he explains.

“Is that how you found me?” Kageyama says quietly.

“Yes,” Sugawara says. He smiles and squeezes Kageyama’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.”

“What is your gift, Kageyama?” Ukai asks.

“Uh… fire,” Kageyama says. “But I can’t control it very well. I can control the intensity at this point, but that’s all I’ve been focusing on.”

“Hmm,” Ukai says. “Fire could be helpful in getting through the wall, but it would have to be strategically placed and well timed.”

Kageyama huffs. “I don’t know how long that would take.”

“We’ll try to practice it tonight,” Sugawara offers.

-X-

Sugawara takes them off a ways from the village in the evening, after a long day of drawing out strategies only to have someone find a crucial flaw in them.

“Keep the intensity low,” Sugawara says. “Try to aim over there.” He points at a tree that’s smaller than the rest.

Kageyama nods, raising his own hand at the tree and taking a long, deep breath…

Everything lights up. The burst of fire is pretty straight, but it curls around the center, sliding out to both sides. Sugawara sighs. “That won’t work out well if we try to cut through an iron wall…” he mutters. “Try picturing it differently. Picture a straight trail, not the target.”

Kageyama shifts his stance a little, then throws another burst. This time it does shoot forward, but once it gets to the target it blows back. Kageyama huffs, but Shoyo can feel the energy rippling along his skin.

Sugawara catches his eye. “Do you feel it?” he asks.

Shoyo nods.

“Try focusing it. You’ve got magic of your own, try to box it in with your body,” Sugawara says, and they both fix him with a panicked look. “Don’t worry. Low intensity, right?”

“Yes, but…” Kageyama says, but Shoyo has made up his mind.

“I’ll do it,” he says, clenching his fists.

Kageyama looks at him, bewildered, but something in Shoyo’s eyes must convince him, because he gets into position again. Shoyo poises himself to jump, and this time as the blast starts, Shoyo darts forward with it, morphing and pulling himself into a spiral around the blast. He forgets to stop once it’s reached the target and died off, though, and he ends up morphing while upside down and falling into a bush.

“Hinata!” Sugawara and Kageyama cry, dashing over to him.

He grins and gives them a thumbs up. “That was cool!” he says, giggling. He bounces to his feet. “Again!”

Sugawara smiles. “Alright. But for today we’ll keep it low intensity. Focus on staying on the path.”

They practice all night, and Shoyo does fall into the flames a few times, singeing his feathers a little, which ends up with a few tufts of his hair smoking a little when he morphs back. Kageyama is mortified each time, but each time that Shoyo hops back up he’s more excited to go again, and Kageyama eventually starts to relax into it.

“Well,” Sugawara says. “I think you’ve done very well. Let’s rest for tonight, ok?”

They nod, both grinning at this point.

-X-

Ukai is still bent over the map of the Dateko region when Sugawara enters the room. “Ukai-kun,” he says quietly, and Ukai hums, not looking up. “Hinata can focus Kageyama’s magic,” he says, getting straight to the point.

Ukai looks up. “What?”

“I don’t think this is a reaction to what’s happened to Kageyama,” Sugawara reiterates. “As a matter of fact, I think that it’s likely he didn’t get along with his familiar precisely because of this bond.”

“You’re saying…” Ukai murmurs.

“Yes,” Sugawara says. “They’re destined for each other.”

Ukai places his hands on the desk. “Sugawara… are you certain?””

“I’ve never seen a familiar adjust to a mage’s attacks this seamlessly,” Sugawara says. “That’s not how a misplaced bond looks.”

Ukai sighs. “Fine,” he says. “I’ll incorporate that into the plan.” He shakes his head. “There’s still the matter of the guards…”

“We’ll send in Hinata first,” Sugawara says. “He’ll find Nishinoya, figure out how the guards do their rounds. Kageyama will be able to locate him, so he’ll know where to tunnel.”

“The guards on top of the wall will fire on sight,” Ukai reminds him. “We’d need a distraction.”

Sugawara sighs. “Well,” he says, smiling just as innocently as usual. “We could always set the woods on fire.”

-X-

This is how Shoyo finds himself in the forest alone, with a single torch. They’re burning the area around where they plan to set the fire. They’ve split up to get it done before the Dateko patrol notices them, and Shoyo is a little nervous about being left alone.

He hears a small noise behind him, and he whirls around, wielding the torch before him. There’s a young boy behind him, about his age, with golden eyes and hair that’s half black and half blonde.

“Uh… hi?” Shoyo says. The boy doesn’t look very threatening. He looks more scared of Shoyo than Shoyo was of him.

“Hi,” the boy says. He’s so quiet Shoyo barely catches it.

“What’s your name?” Shoyo asks, because he doesn’t really know what else to say. Somehow he thinks it makes him seem less suspicious if he just strikes up a conversation.

“Kozume…” the boy says, seemingly paralyzed by fear. “…Kozume… Kenma.”

“I’m Hinata Shoyo,” he says, though he’s not sure why he didn’t think to give a fake name. “What are you doing here?”

“I got lost,” the Kenma replies. “What are you doing?”

“Um…” Shoyo says. “I’m just waiting for my clan. We’re just passing through.”

Kenma frowns just a little, and Shoyo thinks he might have noticed that Shoyo is lying, but before he can worry about that, he’s suddenly worried about a very large, very black panther lashing out at him from the dark. He gasps a little as he’s thrown back against a tree, the panther’s eyes burning like liquid gold as it spits at him.

“Kuro!” Kenma says sharply. “Don’t.”

The panther pauses, jaws wide open around Shoyo’s face, but it trots back to Kenma, morphing into a tall boy with messy hair, maybe a year or two older than them. He glances down at Kenma. “I told you not to go far,” he mutters. “Dateko’s troops will see you.”

“Sorry, Kuro,” Kenma says, slipping his hand into the familiars. He looks back at Shoyo and waves. “Good luck,” he says, as though he knows what Shoyo is up to.

They disappear into the night as suddenly as they came, leaving Shoyo blinking. “Damn it,” he whispers, running to get into position. Now he’s behind schedule.

-X-

By the time he meets with Sugawara, who has burned the part of the circle next to his, he’s covered in soot. Kageyama lights up the center of the circle, and they watch it spread for just long enough that they can hear shouting from the Dateko wall. Shoyo dashes alongside it, watching the guards moving down the wall until he sees an empty spot.

He morphs, swooping upwards. He can almost feel Kageyama’s eyes on him, but the feeling doesn’t fade even after he dives over the wall. They’ve been practicing finding each other, as well as Kageyama’s attacks, but Shoyo feels like this time it’s a little different. More precise. Maybe because of the high stakes.

He swoops through the tunnels until he finds a small window with bars over it. He slips through the bars, stopping to look around. This cell is empty. He can hear guards talking. Their voices get louder, then fade away. Hinata darts through the bars, quietly sailing down the hall. He can see the people in the cells, but so far none of them matches the description he’s been given.

Finally, he gets to the cell at the end of the hall, where the guards can see it from any angle. It takes him a while to wait for a moment that the guards happen to be looking away, talking amongst themselves, and he takes the moment to dive through the bars.

Nishinoya looks a bit like what they described to him, but Shoyo can tell that he’s been in prison for a long time. His hair has one lock of blond in it, like they said, but it’s long and falls over his face. He sits motionless, without looking up, his hands in cuffs. Luckily, the cell is made so that there’s only bars at the top, but the doors are made of solid iron, so Shoyo can morph back without being seen.

Once he’s in his human form, Nishinoya looks up. He’s small, but he’s got a scary look in his eyes. Shoyo gulps and bends down in front of him. “Hey,” he whispers. “We’re here to rescue you.”

“Don’t bother,” Nishinoya murmurs back.

Shoyo looks at him, cocking his head. “Asahi said you’d say that,” Shoyo whispers.

Nishinoya narrows his eyes. “Asahi abandoned us.”

“Well,” Shoyo says. “He’s back now. And he says to tell you that if he’s willing to come back, it’s pretty embarrassing for you to be a bigger coward than him.”

Nishinoya doesn’t respond, and Shoyo is worried that maybe Asahi didn’t know how to get Nishinoya back as well as he thought he did. Then, suddenly, Nishinoya grins. “Alright,” he says. “What’s the plan?”

“We’re going to tunnel through. We need to know when the guards are away so that we have the time to do it without being noticed.”

“About half an hour from now, they’ll change rotations,” Nishinoya says. “You’ll have five minutes tops to tunnel through, and this is the second cell after the wall.”

Shoyo grins. “Leave it to us.”

-X-

He shimmies out the bars to the outdoors, watching carefully as the guards rush past. They’re hauling loads of water, which means they’re still preoccupied with the fire. Shoyo waits for a good moment, then dives back over the wall. He dashes towards where he knows Kageyama is, grinning.

He explains the situation, and Sugawara looks at Kageyama. “Can you do it?” he asks.

Kageyama nods. “Hinata?” he questions, and Shoyo nods.

“Yeah,” he says. “Let’s do this!”

They wait for the right time, Kageyama in position the whole time. When he starts the blast, he doesn’t even have to tell Shoyo. Shoyo can already feel it coming, rippling through his body, and he dives into the spiral just as it starts. It’s a great deal hotter than anything they’ve practiced, but it seems to roll off of Shoyo’s back even as he twists into the molten metal.

With this kind of heat, they make surprisingly quick work of the walls, but once they’re through and the blast stops, Shoyo feels himself dropping like he’s just run a marathon. Someone catches him, and he realizes that it’s Nishinoya. “How’d you get out of the cuffs?” he asks.

“Child’s play,” Nishinoya laughs, and hauls him through the hole they’ve just created.

When they get out, Shoyo can see that Kageyama is just as exhausted as he is, and Sugawara has to steady him as well. That makes Shoyo feel a little better. Asahi is dashing towards them, but he skids to a stop once he sees Nishinoya’s angry face. “Noya,” he says quietly, as though it’s an apology in and of itself.

Nishinoya glares at him, but after a moment he grins and punches Asahi right in the stomach, hard. “I’m glad you came back, you soppy idiot,” he says.

Asahi smiles back at him, though he’s still doubled over with the pain.

That’s about how far Shoyo can follow their conversation before he passes out, about a second after he notices Kageyama collapse into Sugawara’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this last cute chapter before I go nuts with the angst. (But also a chapter closer to Bokuto... I miss Bokuto.)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm still working on incorporating the arc of the first season, and remember when Seijoh beat Karasuno and it was the most devastating thing ever?
> 
> Yeah?
> 
> Yeah.
> 
> Character death ahead.

Asahi stays in his human form, even as he’s carrying Kageyama on his back. The boy is still panting, even in his sleep. It’s obvious he and Hinata have over exerted themselves.

He should strike up a conversation with Noya, he tells himself. His friend looks so different with his hair long, though he doesn’t seem to be any thinner for all those years in prison.

“It wasn’t easy, figuring out how to stay in shape with those cuffs on,” Noya says suddenly. “But you’ve got to hand it to Dateko, they don’t starve their prisoners.”

“How did you know I was…” Asahi says, and Noya grins at him.

“You’re eying me,” he teases.

“Sorry,” Asahi says. “I… I missed you.”

Suga sighs beside them, Hinata draped over his shoulders. “Jeez, will one of you make a move already? It’s been years and you’re both as soppy as ever…”

“Suga!” Asahi cries, feeling his blush crawling up his neck.

“Ah, Suga…” Noya laughs. “I see you still know when to abandon your sweet side.”

“I’m always sweet,” Suga insists. “Right now I’m trying to get my lovestruck friends together. I think that’s sweet.”

Asahi huffs out a breath. Noya doesn’t seem to be taking this badly. “Noya is right. You’re devious sometimes.”

Suga pouts at him a little, but Asahi can see the smile toying at his lips.

Suga suddenly stops short. “Shit,” he whispers. “Something’s wrong.”

Noya and Asahi look at him sidelong. “What’s the matter?”

“I think they’ve doubled back,” Suga says. “I can’t quite get a read on Oikawa… I think his gift must be similar to mine, but I recognize his familiar’s feelings.” He breathes out, frowning. “Though… something’s changed there too…”

“Kageyama isn’t there, though,” Asahi whispers. “They can search as long as they want…”

Suga frowns. “I… I can’t really comprehend what Daichi is feeling,” he mutters. “But… I think things might be more complicated than that.” He glances at Asahi. “Stay with them.”

“But…” Asahi starts.

“Suga,” Noya protests.

“I’ll be back soon,” Suga promises. “Stay.”

-X-

Koushi slips into the village with his spine prickling. It’s so quiet. This is all so wrong. He strides into the main tent. The view that greets him sends shivers through him. Ukai and Daichi are standing behind Oiwaka. They’re giving off two sets of emotions – something determined, and softer, much softer, a kind of horror.

Before them, Oikawa is sitting at the table, toying with the maps there. His familiar stands behind him. Koushi can tell he’s uncomfortable with the situation, though it doesn’t show on his face. “Ah!” Oikawa says happily when he comes in. “Mr. Refreshing!”

Koushi wants to recoil, but he forces a smile on his face instead. “Hello,” he says. “You’re back soon.”

“And where is the baby mage hiding today?” Oikawa coos.

“I already let you look around,” Koushi says politely. “I don’t know where else you think we’d be keeping another person.”

“Cute,” Oikawa says, leaning forward onto his hands. He suddenly doesn’t seem nearly as bright as before, dropping the act to fix Koushi with a hard gaze. “Your friends have already explained what you’ve been up to. There’s no point in lying.”

Koushi meets his gaze. “You can’t compel me,” he says.

Oikawa sighs. “I know,” he murmurs. “It’s very annoying.” He hops up onto the table. “But perhaps we can come to an agreement. I’ve no interest in your clan. You have no resources I need, no real warriors… I only want the boy.”

“And the clans ahead of us?” Kousi says quietly.

“Will either join me or be crushed. What’s to the east of here?” Oikawa sighs, thinking quietly. “Dateko, they’re a proud bunch, that’ll be difficult, but I need the iron. Clans Fukurodani and Nekoma are in an alliance right now, perhaps they’ll be willing to join my cause without violence.” He sighs. “I’m not a monster, you know.”

Koushi can feel the flurry of emotions from the familiar.

“And yet you’re willing to murder a child in cold blood,” Koushi says.

“He stands in my way,” Oikawa says. “Poses a threat to my grip on Kitagawa. A few of the guard felt bad about what happened to him. They think he should have been allowed to grow into his position. If he came back, they’d rally behind him. I don’t have time to deal with a civil war in one of my clans.”

Koushi frowns. “We’re not giving him up,” he says quietly.

“Jeez,” Oikawa says. “What’s this loyalty for a child that’s not even in your clan?”

Koushi narrows his eyes, then tries his best not to startle when suddenly a jumble of emotions stream into the tension. _Oh, no_ , he thinks.

Kageyama dashes into the tent, winded, followed by Hinata. “Leave them alone!” Kageyama cries. “If it’s me you want you can take me!”

Koushi pushes him behind his back. “Kageyama,” he warns.

“Ah, Tobio-chan,” Oikawa says, grinning. His eyes meet Koushi’s. “See? Even the boy knows it’s the more sensible decision.”

“We’re not giving him up,” Koushi says again, gripping Kageyama tightly behind himself. He can see it in the familiar’s eyes. Oikawa is sliding into a pit of despair and desire for vengeance. This will be the turning point. If he can kill a child, there won’t be any mercy for the following clans.

“Iwachan,” Oikawa says lazily. “Please kill the boy. Try to leave everyone else unharmed.”

The familiar hesitates. It’s not very long, but it’s long enough. He draws his sword too slowly, asks Koushi for forgiveness with his eyes. Something cracks in Oikawa’s tempered exterior, and he darts to his feet, grabbing the sword from his familiar’s hands. “Shame on you, Iwachan,” he growls. “Losing your nerve.”

“Tooru,” the familiar whispers, torn between stopping his friend and letting him do as he pleases. Their bond is strong too. Extraordinarily strong. Strong enough that the familiar can probably feel his mage sliding into a kind of madness.

“Step aside,” he hisses, the tip of the sword pressing into Koushi’s chest.

Koushi shakes his head.

Oikawa scoffs. “You can’t even read me, and yet you’re willing to bargain your life for a _stranger_ …”

“I can read your familiar,” Koushi says quietly. Kageyama is trying to shift from behind him, but Koushi refuses to let him go. “He thinks you’re a good man. Don’t destroy that.”

Oikawa’s eyes glint, then fade into sharp, cold lines. “I used to be a good man,” Oikawa says, his voice as cold as his face. “But then I lost everything, except for a single truth. The only thing you can hold onto in this world is power.”

And with that he plunges the sword forward. Koushi gasps as it slides through him. It’s oddly painless, as though the pain has yet to catch up to him, but he hears screaming. Kageyama and Hinata… but also Asahi. Koushi hadn’t even noticed him before.

Perhaps this is for the best. Perhaps this way Asahi will get a little more fight to him.

That’s the last thing he thinks before he loses consciousness.

-X-

It almost feels like a bad dream. Tobio is frozen for a moment as Sugawara falls, even though Oikawa is now raising his sword to strike him down too. He doesn’t get that far before Asahi lunges into him. The sword clatters to the ground. Iwaizumi, in the form of a massive bear, immediately goes after him, prying him off Oikawa. Everyone in the room under Oikawa’s sway drops as Oikawa nurses his wounds.

He catches Tobio’s eye, but now Tobio isn’t willing to give himself up anymore. Not after Sugawara…

… no.

Sugawara isn’t dead yet.

But Tobio isn’t going to let him risk his life for nothing.

“Tobio-chan…” Oikawa coos. “Weren’t you going to give yourself up?”

Tobio doesn’t answer, just gets into position. “Hinata!” he snaps, and he can feel Hinata nod behind him, a kind of devastating anger shining on his face.

“What’s this?” Oikawa laughs. “Has Tobio found a familiar who won’t stab him in the back?”

Tobio lets lose a burst of fire just hard enough to kill one person. He doesn’t want to hit anyone else.

Iwaizumi dislodges himself from Asahi and throws himself ahead of the burst. The bear’s hide is stronger than a human’s, but the burst of flames throw him into Oikawa. He stands up, morphing back and drags himself to his feet.

He takes in his surroundings. Noya is behind them with a new acquired sword. Hinata on the other side of the tent where the blast took him, with Asahi behind him. Oikawa is out cold, probably knocked out when Iwaizumi was pushed into him.

“I’m not going to let you kill him,” he says, and Tobio gets the feeling that he’ll take out as many of them as possible to prove it. “We’ll leave. Tend to your wounded, then leave this place. He’ll raze it to the ground now.”

For a moment, no one moves. Then Tobio drops his hands, and slowly, everyone else follows suite.

Iwaizumi tosses Oikawa over his shoulder, then dashes into the night.

Asahi and Noya leap for Sugawara. “Suga!” Asahi is crying. Tobio feels oddly numb as his knees fold beneath him. Hinata is behind him, his grip tight on Tobio’s shoulder, quiet for once.

“Hey,” Suga whispers, as Asahi and Noya turn him over. Blood is leaking from his mouth. “Don’t forget what I said, you two.”

“Oi!” Noya cries. “Don’t talk like that! You’re going to stick around and watch us get married!”

“Of course,” Suga wheezes. “I just said it… just in case.” He attempts to smile, but his voice is getting fainter by the second. “Don’t worry. I’m still fighting.”

Those words are the quietest, barely audible at all. They’re also the last words that Sugawara Koushi ever says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "YOU MONSTER," you say. "WHY WOULD YOU KILL SUGA???"
> 
> Because I LOVE Suga and I want WRECK myself, that's why. 
> 
> On the bright side, next chapter has Bokuto in it!!!


	8. Chapter 8

Daichi wakes up with his head pounding. The memories sift in like sand. He remembers Oikawa showing up. The rest is blurry, constantly sliding out of his grasp.

He shifts, sitting up slowly. Ukai is already awake, and he looks awful. Daichi frowns, wondering if he looks just as terrible.

“Hey, Daichi,” says a familiar voice beside him. It’s Noya, still in the process of spiking up his hair like usual. He looks just as he used to, though there’s a horribly serious look on his face.

“Noya,” he says, smiling. It’s good to see his old friend.

Noya doesn’t manage to return the smile. Daichi frowns. He wouldn’t have thought that Dateko’s prisons were that bad. He looks around and sees Asahi picking at his boots on the floor. He looks worst of all.

“Don’t tell me you two haven’t made up yet,” Daichi teases. Asahi avoids his gaze even more aggressively at that.

“We’re fine,” Noya says, his voice still gruelingly somber.

Something sinks in the bottom of Daichi’s stomach. “What happened?” he asks. No one will look at him. No one replies. “Where’s Suga?” Daichi says slowly. He’s the only one who’s missing from the old gang. It hadn’t registered so far, because Suga is always taking care of someone or something, but now that there’s a horrible silence, like something’s missing, he can’t help but feel his friend’s absence is like a hole that’s been punched into the room.

Everyone is quiet. Noya seems to be gathering up the strength to say something, but Daichi can’t stand to wait it out. “Please,” he whispers. “Tell me.”

“I’m sorry,” is all that Asahi manages to say.

-X-

Daichi allows himself a half an hour alone with Suga. He cries himself hoarse, throws himself over the body, kicks and curses and tears at his own hair. Then he pulls himself together, and he leaves the tent. He’s got to keep everyone else in check, he doesn’t have the luxury of falling apart in front of them.

Daichi and Asahi bury him together in silence. The odd thing is that what gets under Daichi’s skin isn’t that Suga is gone. In a way, to him, Suga can never be gone to him. It’s the weird absence it leaves in everything else. The way that Noya reuniting with his men is so much more lackluster than it should be. The way that Asahi and Noya, finally able to curl up together, spend each moment in silence instead of Noya hounding Asahi. It’s the way that, when he finally finds them, Hinata and Kageyama are both silent, curled in around themselves as they sit together, heads just gently resting against each other, not a word of playful discontent between each other.

Daichi turns his back to the grave, takes one deep breath, pictures Suga and his smile, and then smiles at Asahi, clapping him on the shoulder. “Come on,” he says, trying to keep his tone light. “We’re going to be ok. Go help Ukai pack up. We need to leave the village.”

Asahi seems startled that Daichi can manage to smile, but he nods. Daichi heads off to find Kageyama.

Kageyama bounds to his feet and bows before Daichi when he comes and finds them. “I’m sorry,” he says, a little too forcefully. “It was my fault. I ran off when Asahi and Nishinoya-san told me to stay. I thought I could spare the village, but I…” He stumbles over the words. “…I didn’t… I’m sorry.”

Daichi waves. “Suga would hate it if you tore yourself up over this,” he says quietly. Hinata shifts uncomfortably, and Daichi can see the tears dripping from Kageyama’s face, though he hasn’t straightened up. “Ukai is already preparing to leave. We’ll have to leave the village. We can’t risk Oikawa coming back angry.”

Kageyama nods.

“I’ll need you both to help with the move,” Daichi says, gently nudging at Kageyama’s chin until he’s standing straight and looking up. “Come on. Chin up. For Suga. He’d be trying to put a smile on everyone’s face right now if he were here, let’s not let him down.”

Kageyama doesn’t smile, but he wipes the tears away and nods, looking ready to take on the next task.

For once, it’s fortunate that Karasuno is all but gone. They pack up quickly and take off. Daichi rushes ahead to speak with Ukai, once he’s made sure that everyone is set. “Ukai-kun,” he says. “Where are we going?”

“Nekoma,” Ukai says plainly.

“Aren’t they rivals?” Daichi asks.

 Ukai snorts. “My grandfather and their King liked to say so, yes,” he says fondly. “But it was more of a sibling rivalry than a turf war. If King Nekomata is still alive, he’ll offer us refuge. Though I’ve no don’t doubt he’ll be a pain about it.” He sighs. “The last thing I want to hear is some geezer picking on me because I neglected my post as King when my grandfather ran off.”

Daichi smiles. “Well,” he says. “To be fair, I think a little bit of friendly teasing might feel rather good right now. We could use some cheering up.”

“You’re handling this well,” Ukai murmurs. “Though I’ve heard you and Sugawara grew up together.”

“Yes,” Daichi says. “I know… knew him better than anyone. That’s why I can’t allow us to mourn him with anything less than a smile.”

Ukai laughs a little. “I suppose you’re right. That was Sugawara, wasn’t it? Always pulling you all together.”

Daichi nods, trying to force the twisting feeling in his chest to melt into something fond. He glances back at the others. There’s not a hint of a smile on anyone’s face. “I’ve got a lot to live up to.”

“I’m sure you’ll manage.”

By the time they make it over the Nekoma border, everyone is exhausted and hungry. Daichi is just about to recommend setting up camp when he hears rustling around them. His hand flies to his sword, but before he can pull it out there’s a very large set of talons wrapped around his throat.

A pair of bright, golden eyes shimmer out of the darkness, fixed on him as he moves. He can feel Noya behind him, ready for a strike, but he spreads his hand out behind him, telling him to be still.

Only a few seconds tick by before a soft, but oddly commanding voice calls out. “Let him go, Bokuto-san, they don’t pose a threat.”

The talons recede, and after a moment a snowy owl several times larger than a normal owl swoops out of the darkness, landing gracefully on the shoulders of the speaker, a man of average height, with piercing, serious eyes. Hinata squeaks a little when he sees.“Clan Karasuno, am I right?” the man says. He’s stooped a little with the weight of the owl, who has one foot on either shoulder.

“Yes,” Daichi says.

“Nekomata speaks of you sometimes,” the man says. “What are you doing in these parts?”

“We’re looking for refuge,” Ukai says. “We’ve made an enemy of the Seijoh clan, and we don’t have the resources to defend ourselves. We were hoping Nekoma might offer us some protection.”

The man looks at them. It’s hard to read his face. “Of course,” he says finally. “We’ve heard of the Seijoh clan’s latest… exploits. We’ve no inclination to participate in any of that.” He sighs. “I’m Akaashi Keiji, head mage of Fukurodani. This is my familiar, Bokuto Koutarou. I hope you’ll forgive him for not morphing back. He likes to stay as an owl when we’re out of the city.”

Ukai nods. “Of course,” he says. “We’re guests here, it’s not our place to make demands.”

Akaashi nods back and turns to go, Bokuto diving off of his shoulders and swooping into the trees. Hinata brightens for the first time since Daichi woke up and dashes after Akaashi. “He must be really good at morphing if he likes staying like that all the time!” he exclaims.

Akaashi levels him with a look that’s neither warm nor cold. “It’s second nature to him, I believe,” Akaashi says, in a way that’s obviously praise but doesn’t want to sound like it. “He’s as comfortable as an owl as he is a man.”

“Whoa,” Hinata murmurs. “I’m still new at this familiar thing,” he explains. “My wings feel all over the place when I’m in animal form.”

Akaashi looks him up and down. “Well,” he says. “If you give Bokuto-san a few compliments he’ll be only too happy to talk your ear off about how he does it.”

“Really?” Hinata cries, grinning. “Cool!”

Akaashi sighs, in a way that says he’s spent hours listening to Bokuto talk about being a familiar and has grown past the idea of finding it “cool.”

“Hinata, idiot,” Kageyama says, though it’s not with the usual vigor. “Stop bothering our hosts. It hasn’t even been two minutes.”

“Hey,” Hinata yells back. “I’m not being rude about it! It’s impressive!”

Asahi smiles. “It is impressive. I don’t think I’d ever be as comfortable in animal form as human form.”

“Really?” Hinata says. “But you always look so comfortable!”

“I don’t mind it,” Asahi says. “But it’s always the stranger part of me. They’re not exactly interchangeable, animal and human form.”

Daichi grins. Everyone seems just a touch more lively than before. He jumps, though, when Bokuto comes swooping down, knocking a very large black panther out of the tree just before them. The panther snarls, batting at Bokuto, but Daichi only has a second of panic before he sees how playful it is. They’re all but rolling in the grass together.

“Ah,” says a small voice behind them. “Shoyo.”

Hinata jumps, then relaxes when he sees the small figure in the shadows. He cocks his head, a little bewildered. “Oh,” he says, waving slowly. “Kenma.”

Daichi blinks between them. “You two know each other?”

“We ran into each other by accident,” Hinata says. “You’re from Nekoma?”

The boy hums quietly. He’s a few years older than Hinata, maybe, but he’s not a great deal taller. “I’m the head mage.”

“Really?” Hinata cries, bounding over to Kenma. They’re such opposites that it’s visible from a mile away, but somehow after only a few moments they seem like close friends. “That’s so cool! Is your familiar as used to his animal form as his human form like Bokuto? Can he teach me?”

“Kuro?” Kenma asks. “I think he prefers the panther, honestly.”

Kuroo morphs back so quickly, it’s like the space between breaths. “I do not,” Kuroo says. “I can’t tease you as a panther,” he whines. Hinata gapes at him, and Daichi can see why. He holds himself just like he was still a panther, and the glint of his eyes is just the same.

“I prefer the panther,” Kenma shoots back.

Kuroo slinks around him as a panther and wraps himself around Kenma as a human, hands in his pockets. “You do not.”

“I do.”

“Do not.”

“I do.”

They fire back and forth at each other as they start walking, and Akaashi swoops in beside Hinata. “Kuroo and Kenma have been bonded since before they even became mage and familiar. I believe both of their gifts are second nature to them.” He glances at Bokuto. “Bokuto-san, I think, has just been prepared to be an owl all his life.”

Bokuto hoots, preening against Akaashi fondly.

“Though to be fair,” Akaashi says, with a sigh. “We’ve been bonded for quite a long time too.”

“You’re bonded?” Hinata asks.

Akaashi nods.

“What’s that like?”

Akaashi looks at Bokuto sidelong with a blank stare. “With Bokuto-san?” he says slowly. “Terribly annoying.”

The owl gives a horrified hoot and drops out of the sky, rolling around as a human, who somehow still manages to look like an owl. “Akaaaaaashi!” he moans, latching onto Akaashi’s foot. “Don’t be mean.”

Akaashi sighs and ruffles his hair, which comes up around his head in spikes. “It’s bearable,” he amends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last, Bokuto and Kuroo come to shine a bit of a light on this awful story.


	9. Chapter 9

They keep walking, but the woods show no signs of thinning. Shoyo watches Bokuto as he drifts along beside them lazily. There really is something so easy to it when he does it. He’s so large, but the branches and leaves don’t bother him. Kuroo is the same way, though it’s less obvious, as he all but melts into the underbrush. There’s more to it, though, Shoyo thinks, as he inspects them closely. They’re both darting around, keeping an eye on the surroundings, mapping out the terrain piece by piece with sharp eyes, but they’re always centered around their mages somehow.

Shoyo glances back at Kageyama. He knows it feels amazing to do magic with Kageyama, but he doesn’t feel centered around him. Ever since the village, Kageyama just feels closed off to him, even though Shoyo was just getting used to his moods and how to deal with them.

He falls back, glancing at Kageyama quietly. “What?” Kageyama grunts, sounding annoyed.

“How are you?” Shoyo asks.

“Tired,” Kageyama says. “How much longer do you think we’ll be walking?”

Shoyo sighs. He wants to ask the same. He thinks maybe everyone wants to ask the same, but they don’t feel as though they’re in the position for requests.

It’s about then that Shoyo catches sight of the first light. He cocks his head, but the light is gone as quickly as it appeared. There’s another one then, and another. He notices they’re regular, and he tugs on Kageyama’s sleeve and points. Kageyama frowns up at the lights.

“What are they?” he asks.

“Guard patrols,” Akaashi says, dropping back to talk to them. “We’re up ahead.”

Shoyo frowns. If anything, the trees have just gotten bigger here. He knows most of the villages to the east of Dateko are built into the forest, but there’s usually at least some clearings before the villages.

He understands a moment later when they arrive beneath two, stupendously massive trees. And by stupendously massive, Shoyo means… well… stupendously. They’re tens of meters across. Behind them, Shoyo realizes there are even more trees, all the same size, with bridges stretching between them, holes carved into the sides.

“This is Nekoma,” Kenma says. “Though now it’s really Nekoma and Fukurodani. A few of the trees just died last month, so we preserved them and increased our holding space. Fukurodani was having irrigation problems on their grounds, so we merged the two clans.”

Shoyo blinks up in amazement. He can feel Kageyama gasp with him, breaking out of his moping to gaze around at the lights winking in and out of the windows on the trees. “Wow,” Shoyo breaths.

“The trees on the east corner are still under construction, but there’s plenty of comfortable rooms,” Akaashi says. “And they’re empty still, so you can take up residence there. Meals are in the communal hall down there…” He points. “And we have enough to spare, so feel free to join us.”

“I don’t know how to thank you enough,” Ukai says.

Akaashi shrugs. “Your village is incredibly small,” he says. “It won’t make much of a dent for us anyway.”

“King Nekomata will be happy to have you,” Kuroo says, suddenly perched above Kenma, resting his chin on the mage’s head. “He talks about you often. He’ll be glad to see Karasuno is getting a little fight back into them.” He grins.

“Dinner will be an hour,” Akaashi continues. “Let me know if there’s anything you need.”

-X-

It takes Shoyo five tries to go over to talk to Bokuto. He’s so loud and his eyes are like owl’s eyes, and it’s scary. Shoyo thinks back to the size of his animal form and realizes that Bokuto could probably eat him alive if he wanted to.

“S-sorry,” Shoyo says, and Bokuto just blinks it him. Shoyo is scared he’s going to pass out. “A-A… Your mage said you could tell me about being a familiar.”

Bokuto grins at him, impossibly bright. “You want advice!” he cries, throwing his arm over Shoyo’s shoulders. “You came to the right person!”

Kuroo slinks over, leaning over Bokuto’s shoulder and resting his chin there. “Don’t listen to anything he says,” he drawls. “This bird brain doesn’t know anything.”

Bokuto sticks out his tongue at him.

“What do you turn into, Shrimpy?” Kuroo asks.

“A… a crow,” Shoyo manages.

“A big one?” Bokuto asks. Shoyo shakes his head, and Bokuto shakes him. “So cute! A little bird. I’ll take you under my wing, little bird!” He pulls Shoyo into a crushing headlock and pulls him around to face Akaashi. “Akaashi!” he cries excitedly. “I have a bird son now! Look!”

“I don’t think he can breathe, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi says calmly.

Bokuto squeals and lets go of a gasping Shoyo.

“So,” he says. “What do you want to know?”

“Flying,” Shoyo mutters. “I’m pretty fast, so I can keep up, but it feels all weird.”

“Ah,” Bokuto says. “That’s because you’re still thinking of your wings as arms, right?”

Shoyo nods.

Bokuto laughs. “See, we birds have it hard,” he says. Kuroo sighs and rolls his eyes, bounding into Kenma’s lap as a panther instead of listening to Bokuto. “All the mammals have their limbs in more or less the right places, but we birds have a different bone structure.” He grabs Shoyo’s shoulders. “Your wings attach at the shoulder, right, but they come backwards, like this.” He runs his hand down Shoyo’s back. “It’s not like flapping your arms. You have to shift motions entirely.”

Shoyo watches him, awed, but he nods quickly.

“But more important than that,” Bokuto says, going a little quieter. “You have to always be focused on your mage. You put them at the center of your attention, and then you drift into that. If you can do that, your motions will come to you a lot easier.”

Shoyo glances back at Kageyama, who doesn’t meet his eyes.

“What’s your gift?” Akaashi prods, seeing Kenma’s quiet glance over Kageyama.

“Fire,” Kageyama mumbles.

“Cool!” Bokuto cries, leaping over to the table so quickly that he knocks Kuroo out of Kenma’s lap. Kuroo gives a cross little yowl, but he just crawls back up and rests his head on Kenma’s leg, tail twitching. “Can we see?”

“Bokuto-san…” Akaashi starts, but Kageyama shrugs and nods, standing up.

“Hinata,” he says sharply, though there’s no real bite to it. “Come on.”

Shoyo can feel Kenma watching him curiously as he rushes after Kageyama. They stand out in the field, Akaashi and Bokuto watching them, Kenma a bit further off, nose buried in a book, but with his eyes occasionally roaming up to them. Kuroo seems to be entertained by the whole thing, but he doesn’t exactly look invested.

“Ready?” Kageyama asks, and Shoyo nods.

 _Center your attention on your mage,_ he thinks, and he closes his eyes. He can feel where Kageyama is, like a sort of beat in the center of the world. He can feel when the magic rises up in him and he can feel the tunneling as the fire sparks from Kageyama’s fingers.

He dives, focusing only on that magic, as though it’s the only thing left in the world, and true to Bokuto’s word, everything else fades away, like Shoyo himself has become a part of that streak of energy…

… he skids to a stop with the flames still licking at his sides, but they’re not hot, and he looks back at the others.

He sees Kageyama first, as he blinks at him, startled. This time was different, somehow. Shoyo was a part of his attack like never before.

The rest of them, though, are staring at him, wide-eyed. Kenma seems to have forgotten about his book. Bokuto is more still than Shoyo could have even imagined him, eyes as round as saucers.

“That was…” Kuroo whispers.

“He had his eyes closed,” Kenma murmurs beside him.

He can see a grin slowly sliding across Kageyama’s face and he finds himself giggling too. “That was awesome!” he cries.

“Akaashi!” Bokuto pouts suddenly. “Why don’t we have any combined attacks like that?”

“My gift isn’t really made for combined attacks,” Akaashi mutters. “But even if it were…” He looks at Shoyo, who has run up to Kageyama and is now grabbing his arms as he laughs, and Kageyama almost looks like he might laugh too.

“They’re not… they aren’t bonded, are they?” Kuroo whispers.

“Not yet,” Kenma murmurs. “Shoyo.”

Shoyo glances back at him, head cocked.

“You’ve only just met, right?”

Shoyo nods.

“It’s probably a destined soul bond,” Kenma says. “Like us with Kuroo.”

“Huh?”

“Sometimes soul bonds are kind of… like… waiting to happen. Kuroo and I met really early, but we were connected even before we were trained in magic enough for an actual bond to occur. That’s probably how it is with you two.”

Shoyo can see Kageyama blushing. “A soul bond?” he asks quietly. “But that’s like… you’re like…” He rubs at the back of his neck. “Well… you’re all… you know together. Like… as couples.”

“Yes,” Akaashi says. “But that’s not necessarily what happens for everyone. That said… it’s a very intimate relationship. And… well. Bokuto-san and I have been bonded for years, but we’ve never managed to share magic like you two. Like Kenma says, your bond is probably more on their level.”

“And there’s no one more in love than Kenma and Kuroo,” Bokuto coos.

“Shut up, Bokuto,” Kuroo mutters, and Kenma glares at him.

“Don’t worry,” Kenma says, once Kuroo and Bokuto have devolved into what seems to be a competition of who can stick their tongue out more petulantly. “You’ll grow into it.”

-X-

Kageyama is really quiet that evening. Shoyo eventually finds him perched in the window of their tree. “You ok?” he asks.

“I… I understand if you don’t want to be bonded to me,” Kageyama says. “I’m sorry it ended up this way.”

Shoyo cocks his head. “Oi,” he says. “Don’t say it like that. It feels like you don’t want me to be your familiar.”

“I…” Kageyama says, but he can’t seem to finish.

Shoyo hops up onto the window sill across from him. This way their knees are just about brushing. “I always wanted to be a great familiar,” Shoyo says. “And now we’re like… really special, and I feel really great whenever we do magic together. I guess it’s a little weird with the bond and all, but I don’t mind.”

Kageyama rolls forward into his legs, resting his chin on his knees. “I’m not a good mage,” he mutters. “I can’t control my magic on my own. I couldn’t keep my clan. Suga died because of me…”

“You don’t have to control your magic,” Shoyo says quietly. He grabs Kageyama’s fingers where they dangle over Shoyo’s legs. “We can do it together.” He grins. “Besides. I couldn’t control a whole clan either. And Suga would probably hit you on the head if he saw you moping around like this.”

Kageyama doesn’t look up, or look any happier, but Shoyo can feel his tension alleviate just a little.

“I’m ok with seeing where this goes,” Shoyo says. “You are too, right?”

Kageyama nods slowly.

That night they fall asleep with their heads on each other’s shoulders, propped up against the window, in the middle of a conversation.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am updating slowly because I am avoiding the pain to come. I'm so sorry.

When they wake up, there’s some kind of commotion downstairs.

“What’s happening?” Kageyama asks, as he dashes over to Ukai, who is anxiously whispering something to Daichi.

“Oikawa,” he says. “It seems he’s gone for the bloody route after all. We just picked up a survivor from Dateko. It seems he hit them incredibly brutally. Took out the entire guard in one night, and started compelling clan leaders from the get go. He’s done with diplomacy, it seems.”

“His familiar refused to kill for him,” Kageyama says. “He’s probably panicking.”

Ukai nods. “Unfortunately, the fact is that we can’t use that to our advantage. Not if he has all of Dateko in his grip. And if he took out Dateko like this, it’s likely we’ll be the next target.”

“Wasn’t he saying that he’d like to try an alliance with these clans? He might try to reach out first.”

“Maybe, but…”

There’s a loud snarl from outside. Kageyama takes off, Shoyo right on his heels. Across from the main hall, Kenma is dragging back a bristling Kuroo.

Iwaizumi is standing before them, hands above his head. He sees Kageyama and bows his head slightly. Kageyama glances at Kenma questioningly. “Hear him out,” Kenma says. “Kuro, stop.”

Kuroo falls back, still growling quietly at Iwaizumi.

“What are you doing here?” Kageyama asks.

“I’m not here for Tooru,” Iwaizumi says.

“Then what?”

“I’m here to give you a warning.” He sighs, letting his hands fall down. “What happened at Dateko… it was worse than anything he’s done before. This wasn’t a battlefield. He slaughtered them. It was a massacre.” His gaze is dark as he looks at Kageyama. “I care about Tooru more than anything. But this… this is not him.”

“He’s coming here next,” Kenma says.

“Yes. And he’s not planning on being any more merciful. If he finds out Karasuno is here… he’ll be even worse.”

“We’ll have to prepare for him.”

“He’s got massive armies,” Iwaizumi protests. “He’ll burn this place to the ground. You should run. Get out of here before he can arrive.”

Kenma smiles slightly. “We’re not exactly low on warriors either,” he says. “We’ll stay and fight.”

-X-

Shoyo doesn’t exactly see how they’re going to beat him, but once they’ve gotten out all their weaponry, he starts to see the strategy. Their defense is mostly built on arrows and light body armor that fades into the leaves. They’re all but invisible, meaning they can probably beat any ground forces without risking themselves.

Akaashi is sitting back, face pinched, rubbing at his temples as Bokuto stands beside him, a supporting hand on his shoulder.

“What’s he doing?” Shoyo asks.

“Running simulations,” Kenma says. “That’s his gift. He can try out a certain plan and glimpse the possible outcomes. To a certain extent, that is.”

“Wow,” Shoyo says. “So he can predict the future?”

“Possible futures.”

Akaashi gives a frustrated groan. “Too many variables,” he says. “I can’t see much further than a few minutes like this.”

“I can give you more details,” Iwaizumi offers.

“It doesn’t help much if I don’t see it first hand,” Akaashi says. “Numbers and strategies are hard to visualize.”

“What if I were to see it first hand?” Bokuto asks.

Akaashi blinks up at him. “Absolutely not,” he says.

“Akaashi, come on. You know I fade right into the background at night, he won’t even see me. I’ll get a good look at the forces, and I’ll help you focus through the bond,” he says.

“No,” Akaashi says, more forcefully this time. “This is dangerous, Bokuto. He will kill you if he sees you.”

Iwaizumi nods. “It’s true. You’re not exactly easy to mistake for a regular owl.”

“He won’t see me,” Bokuto insists.

“I can’t see that far ahead,” Akaashi says, voice pleading. “You could get hurt and I wouldn’t even see it coming.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“I’ll go with him,” Kuroo says. “The two of us together might be more reasonable.”

Kenma gives him a sharp look, but Kuroo just lays his hand on Kenma’s head and smiles gently. Something wordless passes between them.

“They’re right,” Kenma says. Akaashi gapes at him, looking betrayed. “We need your simulations to work. Strategy is the only thing we have right now.”

Akaashi grits his teeth. “If you don’t come back…” he hisses.

“I will,” Bokuto promises, cupping his hands around Akaashi’s face and kissing him softly.

-X-

Kenma walks a bit of the way with them, and he looks especially serious when he returns. He sits down beside Akaashi, who is sitting with his head in his hands, shifting nervously every so often.

“I can’t take this,” he says finally. “I can’t even focus on simulations like this.”

“They’ll be fine,” Kenma assures him.

Akaashi looks away from him, as though all of this is Kenma’s fault.

“I’m worried about Kuro too,” Kenma murmurs. “But I know he can take care of himself. So can Bokuto.”

“That doesn’t mean we should send them straight into danger.”

“You didn’t send him anywhere. It was his decision and he can handle it.”

Akaashi pushes away his chair from the table and strolls over to the window, as though he’s expecting Bokuto to come back any second now. Kenma sighs and starts pacing as well.

Iwaizumi is quiet too, head lowered, hands clasped together tightly. Shoyo sits down beside him. “Are you alright?” he asks quietly.

Iwaizumi nods. “He won’t stop,” he whispers. “Once Tooru gets something into his head…” He sighs. “We’ll have to stop him somehow and… I don’t know that I’ll be strong enough to do what needs to be done.”

“You mean…” Shoyo whispers, but before he can manage to get it out, Akaashi lets out a strangled cry, clutching at his chest as though he can’t breathe.

Kageyama rushes to his side, supporting him and he keels over, gasping. “What’s happened?” he asks.

“I can’t feel him,” Akaashi gasps, something horribly frantic in his voice. “I can’t feel Bokuto.”

Kenma rushes forward, as if to ask him to clarify, but he doubles over before he can get that far, sinking to his knees and curling up on the floor.

“What…” Shoyo says, looking at Kageyama with wide eyes. Kageyama looks back at him, like it’s just occurred to him that he could lose Shoyo.

“Oikawa must have seen them,” he whispers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha... haha... 
> 
> Please don't kill me.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just kidding.

Kenma crawls back to his feet after a few moments, shaking Shoyo off of him, and latches clumsily onto Akaashi’s pants. “They’re not dead,” Kenma says, without a shadow of doubt. Akaashi is leaning on his knees, gasping for breath. He gives a little whimper when Kenma tugs on his pants leg again. “I can still feel Kuro, now that I’m paying attention.”

“What do you mean?” Shoyo asks, frowning.

“It’s…” Kenma frowns, rubbing at his chest. “He’s still there, just kind of… faded.”

“That’s Tooru’s gift,” Iwaizumi cuts in. “He sends people’s consciousness to the background, replaces it with his own.”

“He’s ok?” Akaashi manages. He’s still shivering. “Bokuto-san? He’s ok?”

“Try and concentrate,” Kenma offers. “You should be able to feel it too, even if it’s faint.”

Akaashi takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He nods after a moment. “Yes,” he whispers. “Yes, I can feel it. He’s alright.”

“He’s still under Oikawa’s control,” Daichi reminds him.

Akaashi frowns. “As long as he’s alive,” he says. “I can work with this.” He looks up.

Kenma chews at his lip. “Actually, I think I might be able to use this. Kuro is connected to me, and now he’s connected to Oikawa. Normally I can’t read Oikawa, but like this… I might be able to pass something useful to Akaashi. Enough to work out a strategy.”

Iwaizumi makes a face. “I don’t think you should be pushing the boundaries of your bond right now. Tooru might be able to push back.”

Kenma glances back at him. “He’s not going to take Kuro from me without a fight.”

Iwaizumi sighs. “Fine. But be careful. Tooru can manage a few mental attacks. They’re not his forte, but…”

Kenma nods. “I can handle it. Akaashi? I’ll pass things on to you, if anything happens, you’ll probably feel it too.”

Akaashi nods quickly as well. “If it’s going to get Bokuto back safely I’ll risk it.”

Kenma takes a deep breath and clasps his hand around Akaashi’s wrist. He frowns for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut. Akaashi hisses, impulsively twitching away, but Kenma grips him tightly, until suddenly he gives a small cry. Everyone twitches forward as Kenma quickly lets Akaashi go and slides to the ground, clutching his nose as it suddenly gushes blood. This time, Noya’s the one who darts forward and steadies him.

“I’m alright,” Kenma says, a touch weaker than usual. “Did you get anything useful?”

“A few flashes,” Akaashi murmurs, shaking his head. “I’ll try to do the simulations. Are you sure you’re alright? That seemed painful.”

“I’ll live,” Kenma says, though he doesn’t try to get up when Noya lowers him to the ground.

“Be quick about it,” Iwaizumi tells Akaashi. “If he knows you’re poking about, Tooru won’t waste his time.”

Akaashi nods and slides down, resting his head in his hands. After a while he looks up. “Think it’s best if we concentrate our archers to the east. But a couple of people will have to stay towards the north… I think Oikawa will try to slip in undetected with a smaller group…”

“You think?” Asahi mutters.

Akaashi sighs. “I… I’m not exactly at full power. I can’t get a perfect read, but I’m almost certain.”

“We’ll stop him,” Noya says, raising his thumb. Behind him, Asahi nods, a determined look on his face. “For Suga.”

Akaashi tries to get up, but it takes him a few tries.

“You two should say behind,” Kageyama says. “Is there anywhere safe you could go?”

“Upstairs,” Akaashi says. “It’s pretty much impossible to get to without coming up the stairs, so it’ll be easy enough to barricade.”

“Can you get Kenma up there?” Shoyo asks.

Akaashi nods.

Kageyama grasps his shoulder tightly. “Stay safe. We’ll get Bokuto and Kuroo back.”

Akaashi nods. “Ok.” He leans back, pulling Kenma to his feet. The smaller boy is shaky on his legs, but he manages to step with Akaashi.

-X-

Noya quickly finds them a good hiding spot to the north of the village. He’s got Iwaizumi firmly in the corner of his eye and Asahi within arm’s reach. He’s buzzing with alertness in much the same way that Tobio is buzzing with nerves. Hinata sends him an encouraging glance. Tobio huffs, but he accepts it.

“Kageyama, Hinata,” Noya whispers. They look back at him. “Hit Oikawa hard and fast. We can’t let him compel anyone else.”

Tobio can see Iwaizumi’s fists curl a little tighter. He nods. He’s not sure he trusts Iwaizumi not to turn on them. Tobio already can’t imagine helping hurt Hinata, and they’re not even bonded yet.

Iwaizumi’s hand on his shoulder is sudden and Tobio almost hits him in a panic. Iwaizumi puts a finger to his lips and points.

It takes him a moment, but after a while, he sees Oikawa step from the darkness. He’s still looking elsewhere. Tobio gestures to Hinata and they move into position quietly. Tobio targets. He’s not sure he has it in him to shoot to kill, but he almost has himself prepared to do so when he spots the figure beside Oikawa.

It’s Kindaichi, his old familiar. He pauses, startled, and in that split second, Oikawa’s head whips around, landing first on Iwaizumi with a flash of pain crossing his features, then on Tobio. Tobio lets the blast fly. It’s a little off, and a lot less intense than Tobio meant to do, and it wobbles a little before Hinata manages to catch up with it.

It throws Oikawa back, though, and it gives Asahi a chance to leap from the bushes and go at Kindaichi. Noya is fast on his heels, taking on the two other men that Oikawa has with him. Tobio backs away, hoping that Oikawa will be too focused on him to bother with the others. Hinata is still shaking himself, crawling to his feet as Oikawa rolls over as well.

“How weak, Tobio,” he sing-songs. “You’re still too much of a child.”

“Tooru,” Iwaizumi says from behind Tobio. His sword is gripped tightly in his hand, though Tobio can see the slight quiver in it.

“Enough, Iwachan,” Oikawa says, a terrifying venom in his voice. Iwaizumi flinches and sinks to his knees, sword slipping from his fingers as Oikawa gets up and starts towards Tobio.

Hinata has gotten to his hands and knees, and he meets Tobio’s eyes, nodding quickly. Tobio gives him one more second, then attacks again. It’s not a moment after he’s let the magic rise up and crackle to his fingers before he notices something is wrong. Hinata has leapt towards his attack but…

… he’s swerving.

Oikawa is grinning at him, and then he jerks his head to the side. It’s too late, though, because Tobio has already let the fire leap forward…

Hinata isn’t falling into the tunnel, he’s swerving into the blast.

Tobio tries to jerk it up, last minute, but it’s too intense. It thunders over his head, throwing him back, carving out half of the tree behind him, curling around Hinata’s back, tossing everyone but Oikawa back.

Hinata rolls to the ground with a thud. The back of his jacket is smoldering, and a sickening, cold sharpness has just embedded itself into Tobio’s chest. “Hinata!” he cries.

He tries to dive towards him, but Oikawa is standing before him, above him, grinning. “Don’t worry, Tobio,” he says. “He’s still alive. You’ll die first.”

-X-

For the first time in his life, Akaashi is glad he was impulsively running simulations, because even though he’s still shivering with the lack of Bokuto’s bond at the front of his mind and exhausted from the simulations before, the half a minute of warning he gets is just enough time to jerk Kenma across the room just before the blast of fire eats away the other half of it.

They watch it, startled, pressed against the wall.

“That was… a little too close…” Akaashi says.

Kenma frowns. He glances at the space where the stairs were. “Akaashi,” he says quietly. “We need to get out of here.”

Akaashi blinks at him. “Why?”

“I feel Kuro,” Kenma says. “But not… it’s not.”

Akaashi’s stomach twists. He grabs Kenma’s arm and pulls him up. The stairs are gone, but the next floor isn’t too far down. “Can you jump?”

Kenma nods, and they stumble to the side. Akaashi helps Kenma down first, lowering him down enough that Kenma can drop down fairly comfortably. Kenma holds out his arms and steadies Akaashi as he jumps down after him. One more floor down, the stairs are still intact.

“One more, ok?” he says.

Kenma nods, but before they can get to the next crumbling edge, Akaashi hears a loud rumbling. He freezes impulsively. He looks back, and in the dark he can only see the eyes… two sets, shining with a terrifying gold.

It’s never occurred to him how terrifying their familiars are.

“Go,” he whispers, sliding Kenma down. He makes sure Kenma lands properly, and he dives after him, barely managing to jump down before a set of talons lashes out at him. He hits the ground clumsily, and on impulse he turns around to look at Bokuto as Bokuto’s massive wingspan spreads above him, Kuroo’s dark body twisting around below him, eyes flashing as he snarls.

Kenma grabs him by the collar and pulls, hard, startling Akaashi out of a horrified stupor.

They bound to the stairs and start dashing down. They have to skid to a stop when the stairs abruptly end, the large hole carved in the side of the tree opening up before them as though it wants to swallow them.

Akaashi runs through the scenarios in record time.

Option A: They jump. Instant death.

Option B: They try to turn around. Kuroo and Bokuto are already on their heels.

Option C: They try to get through on the side window, where it might be possible to leap to another tree or one of the bridges. As far as he can tell, that’s the only one that doesn’t end in instant death.

He pulls Kenma after him as he changes course quickly, into the side chamber.

The chamber is carved open as well, which is a good thing. Akaashi can see the nearest bridge below them. It’s not a very easy jump, but it’s better than nothing… providing that the floor is secure at the edge. He can hear the footsteps outside. There’s no time to run the scenarios.

He lets go of Kenma’s hand and slides forward as carefully as possible, but the section of floor caves immediately under pressure. He manages to grab the secure sections just in time, and Kenma is already on his knees to pull him up, and he at least manages to get Akaashi’s elbows over the edge when a hand grips him by the collar and pulls him away. Akaashi can’t see what’s going on, but suddenly, Bokuto is towering above him, with a grin on his face that looks nothing like his own.

“Bokuto,” he gasps, trying to pull himself up. “Fight it.”

Bokuto’s foot lines up with his elbow, but he pauses before he does, the grin widening.

 _Shit,_  Akaashi thinks. _Oikawa is enjoying this…_

Above them, Kenma throws himself on the ground as Kuroo leaps for him, and the hand sails right over his head. He rolls around, pulling his knees in a little. “Kuro,” he says quietly, as if nothing is wrong. He tries to look his friend in the eyes, but it barely looks like Kuroo anymore. Kenma decides to move on instinct, and let his sense guide him. He grabs Kuroo’s arm and grips tight.

At first, Kuroo makes a face as though he finds the move laughable, and Kenma thinks he might have chosen wrong.

But then Kuroo twitches. It’s ever so slight, but Kenma takes the moment to yank his arm, and Kuroo falls to his knees, one hand holding him up and the other tangled in his hair. “K-Ken…” he gasps, then shudders and lashes out at Kenma with a roar.

Kenma dodges it and grips his familiar’s sleeve again, pulling him into an embrace. “You can do this,” he whispers. “Fight him.”

Kuroo whimpers, twitching slightly, but his hand comes up to grip the back of Kenma’s shirt.

As the war wages on in Kuroo’s head, Bokuto seems to come to his senses. He steps back, shaking his head. “A… Akaashi?” he mutters, looking up and blinking wildly. His eyes fall on Akaashi. Their eyes meet for just a fraction of a second before the piece of floor Akaashi is holding onto breaks, sending Akaashi flying through the air.

“ _AKAASHI_ ,” he cries, leaping after his boyfriend, morphing midair as he dives down… down… trying to reach Akaashi’s outstretched hand with his own talons…

-X-

Oikawa is perched above Tobio, hands reaching for the knife at his side. Tobio can’t stop glancing at Hinata. _Please get up_. The pain in his own chest is throbbing, and he crawls back desperately.

It seems to happen out of nowhere. One moment Oikawa seems to be basking in his own glory, the next he’s looking up at something that Tobio can’t see. “No!” he cries. “No!”

Tobio tries to get back to his feet, but the movement seems to jerk Oikawa back to the present. There’s something animal in his eyes, almost rabid. “You…” he growls. “You little brat. You did this!”

Iwaizumi’s sword isn’t far from him, though Tobio has lost track of where Iwaizumi is. Oikawa grabs the sword and twists around to thrust it straight through Tobio, but it hits flesh too soon. It takes Oikawa a moment to comprehend the situation, even though the sword has already gone through all the way to the hilt, the blood dripping over his hand.

Time seems to slow down. Oikawa can’t look away, not when Iwaizumi’s eyes are fixed on him like this… “Iwachan,” he breathes. He pulls away, but the sword squelches in his hand as it slides back out of Iwaizumi’s chest. Oikawa doesn’t even blink, doesn’t think he’ll see anything else if he closes his eyes but the way Iwaizumi’s eyes close as he falls, fixed on Oikawa’s own until the very last moment. Oikawa is falling with him, until they both hit the ground, Oikawa falling to his knees and Iwaizumi hitting the ground, sprawled out, his blood spreading slowly around him…

Oikawa feels as though he’s the one who’s just died, the cold spreading through his chest as he watches his first and only love bleed out on the floor before him, the bloody sword that did it still clutched in his hand. He lets the blade clatter out of his hand, and he blinks at his own bloody fingers, unable to understand. He looks back up at Tobio, sluggish.

“I… I became them,” he whispers. “Didn’t I? One of the murders.”

He looks into Tobio’s eyes. So young. _Only four years older than your nephew was when…_

Somewhere in the distance, he feels his hold on his men fading. Bokuto, falling in the air, fading out of consciousness just as he wraps his body around Akaashi’s… Kuroo, collapsing into Kenma’s arms… The rest tumbling down where they stand, ready to wipe out the other three clans, just like Shiratorizawa wiped out Oikawa’s own family…

He fixes his eyes on Tobio. “Will you… too… join us?” he breathes.

Tobio’s fists unclench at his sides, and he closes his eyes, dropping his head. “No,” he says.

Oikawa smiles, though he wishes that Tobio had answered differently, if only for Oikawa’s sake. He is greedy for death, though at the moment Ushijima’s death is far from what he wants. “Tobio…” he sighes. “You might be a better King… than me.”

Tobio turns his back on him. He scoops Hinata into his arms and pulls him close to his chest, and then leaves. Leaves Oikawa to his fate. The fate he’s brought upon himself.

Oikawa accepts it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess the question is: am I cruel enough to fake killing Bokuto, bring him back and then kill him anyway? Idk, man, Suga is dead, Oikawa killed Iwaizumi... I don't know anymore. (I do know. But you don't.)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a pain to write.

Kuroo wakes up first out of all of them. Kenma is sitting next to him, buried in a book, but he has one hand clutching Kuroo’s, pressing it right over his heart. “Kenma?” Kuroo rasps. “You’re ok.”

Kenma looks up, something like relief flooding his face. “Kuro,” he says quietly.

“I didn’t hurt you?” Kuroo presses.

Kenma shakes his head.

“Akaashi?” Kuroo asks, trying to remember what happened while he was being controlled. It’s all hazy, and slipping away from him even as he tries to recall, like a dream.

“Akaashi is fine,” Kenma says, though his voice is guarded.

Kuroo feels his breath get punched out of him. “B-Bokuto?”

Kenma is quiet. Too quiet.

“Kenma, where is Bokuto?” Kuroo asks, panic clawing at his chest. “Kenma.”

“He’s right there,” Kenma says, nodding at the bed beside them. Kuroo immediately tries to sit up, but a crippling pain slides through his head at it. Kenma pushes him back. “Please… try to rest.”

“What happened to him?” Kuroo says, trying to turn his head so he can see Bokuto. He can barely see the tufts of grey and white hair. Next to him, Akaashi is sitting, shoulders stiff and unmoving.

“He jumped after Akaashi,” Kenma says. “He must have passed out in the air, and… well.” He sighs. “We’re doing all that we can, but we don’t know… if…”

He can’t finish the sentence, but the weight of what he’s saying is choking Kuroo already anyway.

“Akaashi,” Kuroo calls, a little bit louder.

Akaashi turns around. He looks strangely blank. Of course, years of compensating Bokuto has made him seem rather emotionless anyway, but now it’s a sort of blankness that goes straight to the core. “Ah. Kuroo-san. You’re awake,” he says, like he’d like to be glad about it but just can’t muster it right now.

“How are you?” Kuroo asks.

“I’m fine. Thanks to Bokuto-san,” Akaashi says.

“Akaashi…”

“It’s fine,” Akaashi says. “Bokuto-san always picks himself back up.”

He keeps saying that whenever anyone checks in on either of them. Each time, over and over, until it’s more like a mantra.

Every time Kuroo checks in on him, even after he’s hobbled to his feet, Akaashi is still sitting there, unmoving, occasionally muttering, “Bokuto-san… always picks himself back up.” Kuroo takes up residence beside them, and after a while he gets the feeling Akaashi isn’t saying it to anyone but himself. He’s not sure Akaashi is even aware of anyone but him and Bokuto, even as Bokuto slips away through his fingertips.

After about a week, he stops saying it at all. He just sits there, motionless, unresponsive. He won’t eat, won’t drink, won’t sleep… Kuroo doesn’t know what to do with him. Neither does Kenma.

-X-

Tobio has barely moved from his seat in a week. Every so often he glances over at Akaashi, at the way he’s motionless and looking like he’s dying just as fast as his familiar, and Tobio realizes he doesn’t feel much better. At least with Hinata, the charms are working, he just won’t wake up. This is the stillest Tobio has ever seen him.

He leaves for just a few minutes to get some food, and he can feel the moment when something changes, and the clamped feeling in his heart subsides. He dashes back to the infirmary, gasping desperately as he takes in Hinata’s grinning face, laughing with Noya and Asahi.

“I’m sorry,” he breathes.

Hinata frowns at him. “Kageyama. Don’t be stupid,” he says.

Tobio finds he wants to say something, and he feels that Hinata does too, but neither of them is quite ready for it yet.

A few days later, Dateko tells them that they’ve got a place for Oikawa, something that will be secure. “I’m going to help escort him there,” Tobio tells Hinata. “You need to rest while you heal.”

Hinata grumbles at him, but he agrees reluctantly.

“No one’s going to execute him?” Akaashi rasps, and everyone turns to look at him. He hasn’t spoken for days.

“If anyone does it’ll be Dateko. They suffered the most casualties,” Tobio says.

“How cruel,” Akaashi whispers. “Leaving him to live with his own familiar’s blood on his hands.”

“Akaashi… it wasn’t your fault…” Kuroo mutters, reaching out for his friend tentatively.

Akaashi blinks up at him. “No,” he says plainly. “Bokuto-san always picks himself back up.”

Tobio feels something twist in his chest. He tries to imagine how Akaashi will respond if Bokuto does finally succumb to his injuries. He tries not to look at Hinata when he thinks of how much it would hurt.

-X-

Despite all logic, after nearly two weeks, the healing charms finally kick in, and Bokuto opens his eyes for the first time in what seems like forever.

He seems too tired to keep them open for long, but he takes in his surroundings and smiles weakly at Kuroo, then looks up at Akaashi, who is still blinking at him slowly, as though he’s not sure how to break out of his unresponsive haze.

“Hey hey hey,” Bokuto wheezes, though his throat is clearly too dry to get the words out properly.

“Hey hey hey,” Akaashi intones, then falls forward onto Bokuto’s chest, wrapping his arms around Bokuto’s neck and spiraling apart into loud sobs.

Kuroo catches Bokuto’s gaze, and they smile at each other briefly, before Kuroo wanders off to find Kenma and give them some privacy.

-X-

Akaashi manages a full five days before he starts looking tired of Bokuto again, because in the meantime Bokuto has been resigned to crutches, and he’s been horribly whiny about it. Of course, as annoyed as Akaashi looks, everytime Bokuto asks for anything at all, he runs for it like his life depends on it. Bokuto is supremely pleased to be waited on.

Kenma has been constantly cuddling with Kuroo, too, and there’s barely any moment when Kenma is seen anywhere but curled up in Kuroo’s lap.

Shoyo figures that the thought of losing Bokuto has been hard on all of them. He’s still a little scared for Kageyama, even though Oikawa has surrendered, and nearly half the Karasuno clan volunteered to help Kageyama get him to the Dateko prison.

“Shoyo,” Kenma says, clearly picking up on Shoyo’s nervous looks out the window. “Come sit with us.”

He gets up and reluctantly sits beside Bokuto, who is currently yelling at Akaashi to get him a glass of water ( _I saved your life, Akaaashi. Akaashi. Akaaaaaashi. I’m thirsty. Akaaaaaaashi._ ) even though Akaashi has already gotten up to get him a glass of water.

“You’re worried about Kageyama, aren’t you?” Kuroo says.

Shoyo nods. “It’s… it’s kind of scary.”

Akaashi hands Bokuto his water, even though it seems that Bokuto has forgotten he asked for it, then kneels before Shoyo. “I know,” he says. “Losing someone you’re that connected to is… a very scary thought.”

Bokuto goes quiet, staring down at the glass he’s just been handed.

“But every second until then is worth it,” he continues. Bokuto shifts uncomfortably.

Kuroo smiles, hugging Kenma a little closer. “It’s true.”

“Kuro, stop,” Kenma mutters, muffled by Kuroo’s chest. Kuroo kisses the top of his head in response.

Shoyo finds himself blushing, unable to look at any of them. “I don’t know how to bring it up.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Bokuto says with a grin. “It’s easy from here, little bird!”

-X-

In the end, Bokuto is right. Tobio gets back, unharmed, and Shoyo immediately dashes into his arms and peers up at him. “Tobio,” he says, and doesn’t get much further than that.

Tobio’s hand slides down his back and he nods. “I know,” he says. “I felt it. When I hit you. I… I didn’t know what to say.”

Shoyo grin. “I don’t think there’s much more to say,” he says, and kisses Tobio.

The world has never felt so right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how many of you thought I really was going to kill Bokuto. Be honest. How many trust issues did this fic leave you with.


End file.
